


Mask of Milagro

by Kirabaros



Series: Chronicles of Absolution Season 2 [10]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-19 07:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 65,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22707163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirabaros/pseuds/Kirabaros
Summary: 2.10. Milagro means miracle but it is hardly that as the special event for four young girls about to become women is interrupted by an unwelcomed guest. Sam, Dean and Angela stumble across a most unusual case that leaves them with a few surprises and a few secrets maybe.
Series: Chronicles of Absolution Season 2 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1013514





	1. Chapter 1

_Now_

_Milagro, New Mexico_

The night was young and the festivities were in full swing. As far as the people of Milagro were concerned, there were few occasions in which a full out party was to be given. Natividad was a given as well as the special saint days. Of course the most important was a girl’s quinceañera. This year there were four and they all were within days of each other. That was about the equivalent of a month’s worth of parties. After all becoming a woman was important to a traditional Mexican girl.

Diego de la Vera looked over the courtyard of the Valle ranch. Their daughter was having their party tonight. The mass will be conducted during the afternoon and then the dance. His old friend Ricardo was putting up a pretty penny for his daughter Ana. Then again she was his pride and joy and she was the eldest out of five children.

Diego gave a whistle and his dog drove the small goat herd that was allowed to graze on Valle’s land came with the herd. He turned his horse in the direction of his ranch and the dog drove the herd. Diego gave a wave at Ricardo who was finishing up his chores. He called out, “May God bless this day compadre.”

“And to you.”

It didn’t take long to get back to the ranch. He walked in and went to see his wife who was busy putting the finishing touches on Elena’s dress. Her party was on the fifteenth and that was in five days’ time and besides Ana, there was Rosita and Lupe in between. It was definitely a time of celebration. He kissed his wife and greeted his daughter. “Still fussing over the frills?”

“Sí Papa,” Elena replied as she paused in her sewing. “Mama decided to add a few more and I told her that God doesn’t care how frilly a dress is.” She gave a playful smirk at her father and glanced at her mother.

“Do not mock God, Elena,” Esperanza rebuked gently. She smiled though as she began to roll up her sewing. “God knows that when a woman comes of age she makes the decision regarding her devotion to him.”

Elena made a slight face while her father tried hard not to laugh. He knew that she didn’t believe in a lot of the things that their people did. She thought them to be a bit silly and he was inclined to agree. However it was hard to change tradition and habits and some people just really believed. She replied, “Yes Mama.”

Esperanza gave a stately nod as she began putting away her sewing things. Elena’s dress was finished and now she just had to worry about the refreshments. Fandangos and other festivities were a delicate affair since there was a substantial portion of the family that had special dietary needs. It always worked out but it still required a delicate touch since family wasn’t the only thing that was invited to events like this.

Elena took the hint and began putting her things away. It was about time to get started on getting ready for the party anyway. She couldn’t wait to talk to her friend Ana. She and Rosita and Lupe had been friends since they were kids and they always shared birthdays since they were days apart. The mass was going to be in a couple of hours so it was best she get ready now so that they wouldn’t be rushing. “Well I guess it’s time to get ready. Do you need anything Mama?”

“No that will be all. You go and get ready,” Esperanza replied.

Elena left and Diego watched his daughter saunter off. “Well I guess I better get going too. Dirt on the trail…”

“And you’re going to try and make a joke out of it. You know we have to be careful,” Esperanza replied as she stood up. She picked up her basket and stood in front of her husband. “You know that she is at that point where…”

“I am well aware my dear. I know it hasn’t been easy for all of us.” Diego gave a slight dusting of his pants. He was covered with dirt from the roundup. “Still we are family and it is what we are. Elena has been around her cousins all her life. Who knew the genes carried on this long.”

“I just worry that someone will notice certain things…” Esperanza looked down the hall to make sure Elena was truly gone. The girl liked to eavesdrop on conversations.

“We have lived her for three generations, and I use that loosely mi amor, and the people of Milagro know us and our family. No one will find out. It would have to take someone who is a hunter or one who is a long lost family member to guess.”

“I hope you are right,” Esperanza replied as she put her sewing aside. “Well we best be getting ready. I promised Yolanda that I would be there to help with the set up for the party.” She smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek before going to get ready. She paused and said, “You better not show her that new horse until after her birthday. God knows you spoil her enough.”

Diego couldn’t help but laugh at that. He loved his wife and daughter. His son was his pride and joy and was in line to inherit the ranch. His family was the most important thing to him secrets and all. He followed his wife into their room to get ready.

The sky was dark when the music began to strike up. The mass had gone well. Everyone was in tears or happiness that another young woman joined the community. Ana stood with her parents to receive the guests as they came and lit up when she saw her long time and best friend Elena. Her mother nodded that she was excused from receiving and she went to greet Elena. The two of them went to greet their friends.

Diego led Esperanza to a table and sat with her after bringing her a drink. He could tell Ricardo had gone all out for his daughter. Well he did the same for his Elena and they hadn’t even had the celebration yet. He was actually grateful that Elena’s would be the last one since he was well aware of the needs of his family. At least they weren’t overly sensitive to the semi desert life since a majority of them lived in cities like Santa Fe and the like. He was glad because for the most part, people wouldn’t notice the peculiarities of the family.

“Señors, señoras, it is a pleasure to announce Señorita Ana Valle being presented by her father Señor Ricardo Valle,” the announcer called.

Everyone stopped their talking as Ricardo escorted his daughter to the dance floor. It was tradition for the father and daughter to share the first dance. Ricardo stopped and turned and Ana accepted his hand to dance. He was so proud of his daughter. While they were dancing, he took the opportunity to say, “You look beautiful mi hija. The most beautiful here.”

“You tease Papa.” Ana smiled at her father as they danced together, “Thank you for giving me this party.”

“It isn’t every day your little girl becomes a woman,” Ricardo replied. “I remember when you were a bouncing whirl of curls. Now I have to worry about chasing off suitors.” He smiled to show that he was teasing but also being serious.

“Papa.”

Ricardo chuckled as the dance finished. He then said, “Now have a good time mi hija. Maestro.”

The DJ struck up with more modern music and all the young people joined in the dancing. It was new stuff and some of the parents were a little scandalized but at least the DJ had a mixture of different kinds so it was bearable. Some of them were chatting about other things while the youngsters were having their fun.

Ricardo made it over to the table where Diego was sitting with his wife and said, “Glad you can make it compadre.”

Diego smiled, “I wouldn’t miss it. Besides how could I forget when our precious jewels were born within the same month?”

“An expense that we saw and gladly pay.”

Diego couldn’t help but laugh at that joke. They had both been hoping for a boy but when they were presented with daughters, they laughed. They started joking about the difference between the expenses in daughters versus sons. They both agreed that daughters were expensive but worth every penny. Their wives called them softies but they both loved their children. He replied, “Yes and now you compadre are the first to be the guard against the suitors little Ana will be bringing.”

“Don’t remind me. I already started polishing my collection of guns,” Ricardo said.

“Don’t you be going and scaring off all the boys,” Yolanda scolded in wifely fashion.

“Why not? It will save on the next big expense… the wedding,” Ricardo teased.

Diego and Esperanza started laughing along with Yolanda. It was a good joke but a reality that they were practical enough to think about. They were fortunate in that they had money from their cattle spreads but not all the people of Milagro were lucky. Some needed work and some were down and out. Some lost their farmland because of water rights. Diego did his best to help out by offering employment to the men. He knew a thing or two about pride and that there was a fine line between charity and work. So he got by with hiring men as cowhands and other types depending on their skill level. Ricardo did the same and it was working somewhat given the state of the economy.

Diego pushed such thoughts away since this was a happy day. He smiled and replied, “And we will all gather again for a round of drinking and dancing. Don’t forget the harvests either.”

“That was a good thing you did in reclaiming the water rights for some of the farmers. The town is starting to live again” Ricardo acknowledged.

“Wouldn’t have done it without you compadre,” Diego replied as he put a reassuring hand on Ricardo’s arm. “We’ve always been partners.”

While they were talking, the lights began to flicker. Ricardo noticed and frowned. When they did it again, he became concerned. He was meticulous in keeping his place in shape in terms of plumbing, electricity and the like. Diego noticed and asked, “Everything all right?”

At that moment, the lights flickered again and it seemed that a breeze picked up. Diego stood up and looked around. Was it one of those? He frowned as he looked around. The hanging lanterns were starting to sway and some of the skirts of the dresses were blowing up in ways that they shouldn’t. Something was up.

Ricardo looked around. He didn’t understand what was happening but it seemed that the concentration of the flickering was over the dance floor. His Ana was there. “Diego.”

Diego nodded and replied, “Go.”

It was a good thing. At that moment, furniture and dishes began flying. People began screaming and the dance floor began to clear. Ana was the only one standing there with Elena. In the middle of the floor appeared a young woman in a dress. A quinceañera dress and it looked like it had been ripped to shreds and bloodied. Her hair was a mess as she looked straight at Ana. She pointed a finger at her and said something in Spanish.

At that next moment the girl swooped forward. Ana screamed along with Elena as they saw the thing come at them. It was Elena that pulled Ana out of the way but the ghost hit Ana’s father. There were ghostly screams and blood everywhere. Some of it splashed on the elaborate tiered white frosted cake and dripped down like syrup on a desert. Screaming filled the night as the lights gave one last flicker and the wind died down.

****

“Slow down Angie. Are you trying to get us a ticket?”

The Impala roared as the engine was gunned and the speed increased. It raced through the desert highway like it was trying to get away from something and really showed what she was capable of. At the rate it was going, the vehicle could kill the tank they just filled up on but neither of the passengers decided to say anything about it since it seemed to only agitate the driver more.

Dean sat back when the Impala picked up speed and decided not to say anything more about the excessive speeding. He knew what the cause of that was; he just didn’t figure that she would take it that hard but then again it was a low blow after their week in that Oni settlement. She was taking it harder than she should have but as she told him he was part of the small family she had. He didn’t realize that it meant that much to her.

Their last case had them in Massachusetts and dealing with a book club of witches. It seemed simple enough with bad hexes but it turned out to be something more. Ruby decided to make an appearance and Dean thought that she and Angela were going to get into a supernatural rumble. Certainly the look that Angela gave the hell bitch was one that said she wanted to kill her. Yet she didn’t and Dean wondered if Angela regretted not doing it.

As it turned out, one of the desperate housewives from the book club was a host to a demon and they unwittingly sold their souls to the demon and dabbled in what they thought was harmless mojo. Well except for the one broad that decided to hex people because she was slighted. He and Sam thought that it was over the moment the broad ended up dead but Angela said otherwise and was insistent that something was up.

It had been a mistake to question her judgment. She wasn’t the petty type but she took offense to it. It bothered Dean though that they thought she was wrong. She had been wrong before but she had never been like that and she admitted when she was wrong. It then occurred to Dean that she picked up on things that people missed. He asked her later if she smelled demon and her response was raised brow. He knew that he and Sam made a mistake in forgetting that and it was proven when Angela whirled and grabbed Ruby by the throat.

It ended up being a free for all for the demon. Dean had to admit that Ruby saved his ass from being ganked by a hex. That still didn’t mean that he trusted her. When they finally ganked the demon, he got a surprise of his life. Even though the Colt took out the bitch that caused all this, he was surprised to see Angela in a vamp out mode and even more surprised to see her hand glow. He was sure she didn’t even realize she was doing it. However that wasn’t the crux of the issue.

That came when they were at the motel and Ruby paid him a visit. He had asked Ruby if it was true about her making a deal with the demon. At the time Angela was with him because she wanted company and to talk to him. She answered for Ruby by saying that it was true. That led to the conversation that ended up with him asking if there really was a way out of his deal.

Ruby looked at Angela and replied that there was no avoiding it. He was going to go to hell and that there was no spell or anything like that to get out of it. Dean saw the light go out of Angela’s eyes. It hurt to see that from her but then it was replaced by something else and it worried him. All she said to Ruby was, “Odds of success not in favor but there is still a chance.”

Dean had wondered if she was going to try something stupid. He knew that she was willing to give up her vamp half for him and become human. He figured that was why she never told Ruby to get lost when she showed up. Ruby mentioned that she remembered what it was like to be human and maybe that affected Angela a bit. She did mention that she remembered being completely human before her powers kicked in. It made him wonder if she was that desperate to be normal and would be willing to the trade since it was obvious that her soul wasn’t enough when she brokered the deal.

They left Massachusetts and Dean didn’t argue when she asked for the keys. She took off and headed west like she couldn’t get away fast enough. She drove through most of the night and only stopped when a pit stop was needed and she even paid to gas up his baby. As far as he could tell she hadn’t had a decent night’s worth of sleep and they didn’t really stop long enough to determine if there was a job. Now they were in New Mexico and she didn’t show any signs of stopping and a town was coming up in five miles.

“Angie, slow down. There’s no reason for this.”

Dean groaned as the Impala screeched to a halt. The radio was playing country but very low. This wasn’t going to be good. He watched as Angela undid her belt and got out of the car and grabbed a water bottle to start walking down the road. It surprised him when Sam got his long frame out of the car and started chasing her down the highway. Didn’t Sam know that she could out walk him on her best day? He sighed and got out and into the driver’s seat.

He caught up with Sam and told him, “Sam just get in the car. Let her walk it off.”

“Dean, this is becoming a frequent thing when something bothers her.”

“Sam.”

“Dean seriously, what is going on? Ever since Ruby showed up in Massachusetts Angie has been driven to get away.” Sam looked at his brother with a hurt expression.

Dean recognized the look. Sam gave that one when he was caught in the middle of something that he didn’t understand. This time his brother was seriously hurt by her avoidance and refusal to talk and Dean could understand that. Angela had talked to Sam more frequently and she was willing to tell him things about her past and what she was feeling. Yet with everything happening, Dean was willing to conclude that she was like a child with these new emotions and feelings.

Angela was still getting used to how she felt about him and Sam. Right now it was the context of family and she had admitted it to him. Also with the whole thing with the council and then everything else; it was no wonder she was acting the way she was. It was a defense mechanism. The excessive speeding and the long days and nights with little sleep were a part of this idea of running from the truth. Her mind reasoned well but it was the emotions associated with it. After all she had admitted to living alone for a long time.

Looking up at his brother he replied, “I’m not sure Sam but I think it has something to do with how she feels about us.” He wasn’t going to mention their talk about the council’s decision and that she had been there when Ruby stated the truth. It was something he figured that Angela would want to tell Sam and it wasn’t his place to.

“Did we do anything?”

“No Sam. We did nothing except tell her how we feel.”

It dawned on Sam what Dean concluded. “She’s confused?”

“Makes sense Sam. She’s been alone for a long time. Maybe one or two that she felt close to but maybe it’s different,” Dean replied with a shrug. “Besides she probably recognized the demon and bad memories plus I think she knew Ruby from way back.” He motioned for Sam to get in since they were in the middle of a desert.

Sam accepted that for now but he got the feeling that Dean was hiding something. He suspected that ever since they left Louisiana and when he asked her about the hearing, she acted like she didn’t know what he was talking about. He wished that she didn’t feel the need to protect them both from every little detail. It was going to kill her eventually. Sighing he got into the car and looked forward to see if they could spot her.

They found her sitting by the side of the road playing with a snake about three miles down. She was holding it in her hands and just petting it considering it was a dangerous kind. Dean glanced at Sam and asked, “Is it just me or is she holding a poisonous snake?”

“I think you may be right, Dean,” Sam replied as he stared out the front windshield. “Must be that animal trick Li teased her about.”

Dean said nothing as he watched as Angela gave a final pet to the snake and sent it on its way. She stood slowly and picked up her water bottle and got into the back seat of the car. The only thing she said was, “I’m sorry.”

It was only two words but it said a lot and they said nothing. Dean started the engine and pulled back onto the highway. It was late in the afternoon but maybe they needed a break from the drive. They could stopover in the next town and take a break. Maybe that would give time for Angela to talk to Sam since he knew his brother was itching to. It was fun but also annoying to see this dance because often he got tossed in the middle and he wanted them to figure it out on their own without his help.

Sam said, “It’s okay Angie. You’ve been driving for a long time.”

Dean stifled the groan that threatened. This was a stiff conversation and it was painful at best. Then again Sam was always the nice guy and she responded to that. “How about a pit stop Angie? I can use a break.”

“Fine with me. Wake me when you find a place.”

Dean glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that she dropped off immediately. They only had two more miles to go and she was out like a lamp. He felt a wet nose against his hand and he rubbed Setna’s head before picking it up and dropping it in Sam’s lap.

Sam looked up at his brother with a slight scowl. Dean was always dumping the cat on him but then again it provided a good start into a conversation with Angela. The thing was it felt like one of those things that she hid behind and it felt like he was hiding behind the fur ball when he tried to talk to her. Granted he eventually got to what he wanted to say, it still felt… bad. He decided he wasn’t going to use the cat this time.

Rubbing Setna, he put the cat directly in Dean’s lap. It was dangerous since Dean was driving but his brother had done plenty of other things while driving. When Dean looked at him, he gave a shake to indicate ‘no’ and adjusted his body into a slouching position after turning up the radio a little since it was still playing country.

Dean just let the radio play. He was surprised that Sam handed back the cat. He was trying to give him the means of starting a conversation. It seemed like this time Sam wanted to go at it alone. He hoped his brother was prepared for the outburst he was certain was going to come. Maybe she did need that. Nothing more was said until he pulled into the town of Milagro and looked for a motel and actually prayed that nothing bad would happen.


	2. Chapter 2

_I am a child. Rationally I am an adult but emotionally I am a child._ Angela knew she had been unfair to her boys with her insistence on driving the long hours and her imposed silence. Then again it had been hard to be near Ruby and her stating the truth and bringing up that feeling that she failed her little bulldog Dean.

Handling the desperate housewife witches wasn’t a problem. She figured it would be easy to solve. It was only when she got a whiff of one of them that she noticed the demon presence and that was after the boys investigated the death by hex. She insisted that there was a demonic presence and it rather hurt that they didn’t take her seriously. Dean teased her about being overloaded on Oni scent but at least he ended up realizing his mistake. To be fair, it was still new that she could still sniff out demon and she didn’t need to drink their blood or to have it pouring to tell the difference.

It was seeing Ruby again that had her act like a child. She had wanted to strangle the demon but she did help Dean when he had been hexed. Then finding out that Ruby’s old boss was the one behind it… that was another thing on top of another and she let the bitch have it. At least she thought she did. She didn’t really know what happened in there but she was so focused on the demon that she didn’t pay attention.

Afterwards she went to accompany Dean on a food run and they ran into Ruby. It was like getting hit with the truth again. There really was nothing she could do unless she wanted to cross certain lines. She actually considered it when they booked and she headed in no particular direction when she demanded the keys from Dean. Yet she knew that she couldn’t and wouldn’t and for reasons deeper than a promise she made to Dean in which she wasn’t willing to explore at the moment.

At that point Angela wanted to tell Ruby to get lost or even kill her and she knew that she could. She didn’t because her bleeding heart actually felt for the fact that Ruby remembered what it was like to be human. Angela knew as well as any demon that the longer a person spent in hell, the more they lost their humanity. Angela thought she lost it the day she first died and came back and it just got worse when she ended up in the pit.

Like Ruby though, she didn’t forget that she was once human. It happened to every Chaser and Halfling. They remembered what it was like before the change. Since she pretty much had a messed up psyche, Angela wished at times that she hadn’t gone through it. She could see herself as nothing but a monster and it was one of the reasons why she had a hard time believing that she was worth someone’s time and effort. The only exception was her fratello since he came to her before that. It certainly bore some weight as to why she acted like a child in light of these strange emotions and feelings.

_I wonder how the princess feels? She became one of us late in life. Does she miss it more?_

It was habit to think about other people’s feelings besides hers. Probably the damaged psyche talking since she thought her feelings weren’t worth the trouble to anyone. She paced the room that was hers and looked occasionally at Setna who was looking at her with that wide eyed expression. She had been neglectful of him and she felt bad for petting the snake but she couldn’t help it. At least that cooled her frenzied need to get as far away from Ruby as she could.

It was only three miles when she decided to stop and that was because she noticed the damned snake in the first place. It was a poisonous one but she wasn’t afraid of it. It was relatively easy to catch the thing and hold it. She handled worse things that killed you and more often in a gruesome way so a little ole rattler was nothing.

As she sat there, she had the wry and vaguely humorous thought that here was a monster holding a monster. Shades of grey she operated in for a long time and she did come close to killing things because they were things. She saw that in Gordy Walker; the unreasonable hatred because his sister had been taken from him. She had people taken from her too but she always seemed to know when she was about to cross a line and in the end she took a step back and did the right thing.

She could go with her nature and kill like the rattler she had held. It killed to eat and defend itself. The one thing that separated animals from humans was the ability to reason. She had thought about what Ruby said and while she didn’t trust the skank with a ten foot pole, she could relate and it occurred to her that Ruby was trying to appeal to her on that level. That and she was telling Dean the truth about going to hell and what it did to you.

Picking up the fur ball she cuddled the kitten who immediately started to purr. She smiled and said, “It doesn’t take much to get you to purr does it?”

Setna squeaked in response and rubbed his head on her fingers. He began suckling on her fingers and licking them. His baby claws grasped her hand to hold himself steady. He had grown a bit but it was evident even to Angela that he was not going to be a big cat. She liked the thing anyway and chuckled, “I guess you picked your mama the day I saved you from my bull dog.”

Feeling better but by no means completely since first and foremost was the dealing with failure, she put the cat down. She needed to get him something to eat and she would be damned if she got him sick on people food. Dean liked feeding him that beef jerky stuff but he always gave him the flavored ones and allowed the cat to lick the wrappers of his fifty cent whores. She gave a rub on the cat’s head and said, “You’re lucky you fit in a pocket otherwise the management would have said get lost. Now you stay put and I’ll get you something.”

She was at the door and repeated, “Stay.”

Anyone else would have thought she had a dog but it would have been funny just to see her give a command to the cat since felines were known for their more independent streaks. It was why she liked them probably a bit more than dogs but she had a soft spot for the hell mutt. Thinking about it, she made a mental note to call Bobby and ask how they were getting along and to remind him not to get the dog drunk again. Like the old fart ever listened to her.

She sighed softly and looked around finally realizing that they were in a new town but she didn’t know which one. Inwardly she cursed herself for not even paying attention to the road signs. She had been that distracted and…

“Lost again?”

Angela stopped her mind rant when she heard a familiar voice and a pleasant feeling occurred. She turned to see Sam looking at her to see if she needed help. She smiled and replied in an over dramatic fashion that sounded almost like sarcasm, “Yes, the broody Halfling got herself lost again because she didn’t read the signs and has no clue where she is.”

“I kind of figured since you just wanted to drive and didn’t really say or have anywhere in mind,” Sam replied. He had left well enough alone when they checked in but kept peeking out the window to see if she would come out. Then he could find a lame excuse to be outside and… whatever. He was still bristling because Dean teased him and called him a pervert.

“Well running away doesn’t really have a destination in mind,” Angela replied softly. She never could hide much from Sam when he got to the crux of a discussion. “Maybe I am a coward.”

“Broody maybe, coward never,” Sam replied. Honestly he never thought her to be afraid of anything except what he overheard between her and Sayuri.

“I would think driving with no destination in mind is running away and a coward’s way,” she countered. She looked up at the sky that was starting to darken. She could make out the first stars starting to appear.

“I seem to recall someone saying something about living today and fighting tomorrow.”

“I don’t think that applies,” Angela replied with a chuckle before she started walking in a direction.

Sam kept up with her while trying best to get to the question of asking what she was running from. “I think it does. It’s what you do when you aren’t sure of anything. You… hide until you are sure and then you come out.”

“Yes hanging to the rear so that if everything goes under, lookee me still floating,” Angela replied with a hint of sarcasm. She sighed again. That wasn’t nice. _I really am a child._

“You know that’s not true Angie. If anything I know you try to avoid a fight though I get the feeling that you enjoy a good brawl every now and then.”

“That’s because I like kicking a douche’s ass because he deserves it. I don’t like kicking ass because I have to kill it especially if it hits close to home like our fun down in Louisiana,” Angela replied in a patronizing tone.

Sam heard the change in her tone. He knew he had to get it out if he didn’t want her to clam up for the night. “Okay then what were you running away from? I know it wasn’t the witches in Massachusetts. Is it Ruby?”

“Please, I feel like killing the bitch every time I see her and no I’m not going to tell you why.”

“Then what? To be honest this is getting a little old Angie. It’s like you’re…”

“I know. Say it. I am behaving like a child,” Angela snapped. “Yes I am a child and this coming from a five hundred year old broad and excuse me for not being adult about how I feel when it comes to certain things like you and your brother.”

Sam figured that much already. Dean told him what she said, at least the part where she admitted he, Dean, Bobby and Ellen and Jo were all that she had. It sounded strange since she seemed to get along with certain people like Akira but it occurred to him that she had never seen those relationships anything beyond friendship or partnership. “You’re putting words into my mouth. What I want…”

“But you were going to say it,” Angela replied softly.

The shift in tone was drastic and it could have been read as a warning. Sam replied, “Maybe I was but I get why.”

“I’m dealing with failure,” Angela blurted out. She had her eyes closed when she said it. She opened them slowly. She didn’t want to shout. She didn’t want to hurt Sam any more. “I’m trying to deal with failure.” Swallowing a little she continued, “Call it bad timing but I was summoned by the council and the verdict was pretty much no. Ruby, the skank, gave me a big fat ‘I told you so’ and…” She shrugged her shoulders and turned to walk away.

Sam let her leave. He knew she had been trying on Dean’s behalf but it must have hit her hard. Then again Ruby wasn’t the easiest person to talk to and if they had history then that would just make it ten times worse. No wonder she was running and why Dean didn’t bother to question what was going on. He felt a little put out though that they had been discussing this without him. Dean was his brother too and he could have helped. Why did she think she have to protect them? All it did was produce… this. He sighed since he knew it was her nature and that she cared and probably more than she had ever allowed herself to. Deciding for once he had to fix it, he took off in the direction she did. At least she was heading to one of those store places. She probably needed something for the cat.

****

Elena walked into the general store. Pepé boasted that he had just about everything in his store and if he didn’t, he could order it. Some of the kids liked to have fun and ask for some of the most outlandish things just to get a rise out of him. She used to do that but got bored pretty quickly since there was that wonderful thing called the internet and online shopping. Plus she had very interesting relatives who were always sending her things.

This time she was looking through the book collection. She still couldn’t get over what she saw at Ana’s party and what happened. Ana was in tears not because her party was ruined but because her father got hurt by the thing. There was a lot of blood but her father seemed to know what it was and threw a cloud of salt at the thing and it screeched almost like it was in pain or something. It chilled Elena to the bone.

Afterwards, her mother got her home and almost locked her in her room. Papa stayed with the Valle family to make sure everything was okay. That whole day she felt like she was on a different planet. People were talking about it. Some said it was a demons because of the water rights issue. Some said the spirits were angry. She didn’t know what to think but it hit her the moment she had a coherent thought. She needed to find a book on that.

Papa had a nice library. He was the one who loved books and Mama always said that if he weren’t a rancher, he would be a book salesman. Or he would go bankrupt in buying books. Mama always laughed when she said that since she loved books too but her Papa could live in a bookstore or library if the thought occurred to him.

Elena tried the library and came up with nothing tangible. It seemed that Papa had nothing on ghosts; that was what she was certain the thing was. The only thing related to ghosts were stories about ghosts and they were children’s books. Her brother Ernesto and she loved to read them when they were little. Ernesto then tried to terrorize her by reenacting some of the stories until Papa caught them and then ordered them not to mess with it.

Thinking about it, Elena thought that Papa may have overreacted about that. It wasn’t like she or Ernesto were going to summon them or bind them. That was a load of hogwash and dangerous. It wasn’t like they didn’t know about things that were not normal. Hell their family was living proof of that and it didn’t scare her though some of them thought it funny to try. She figured that maybe Papa knew what the whole scene at Ana’s party was about and was trying to protect them. That would make sense.

Elena sighed. Papa was trying hard to keep family secrets from being known in Milagro. She didn’t blame him really since the really traditional folks would probably have gone off the deep end. Ever since she and Ernesto had been children, they had been shown and taught certain things that must never be revealed for the safety of the family. She had been lucky so far since everything she read stated that certain things should have occurred earlier. Ernesto hadn’t been so lucky and right now he was probably just blowing off some steam.

Ernesto took to his new self fairly easily and Elena was a little jealous but she was also glad. It still was tiring to carry a burden but she wouldn’t trade her crazy family for anything. She ran her fingers along the titles and selected one that looked promising. She began thumbing through the pages trying to see if there was anything about Milagro that may have anything to do with that ghost. She wasn’t stupid. She figured that the ghost was native to Milagro. Funny thing was she couldn’t recall anything.

“Pretty heaving reading there.”

Elena heard the feminine voice and turned to see the back of a head of dark hair. An oil tanned arm was reaching for a can of cat food. She replied, “I have a healthy taste.”

“And not very catholic,” the woman replied. She bent to look at the cat food and then tucked it in her arm and then picked up a book that she had been looking at.

“Well what does that get you except to make you an ignorant fool?” Elena always found herself defending her taste in literature. Some of the elders thought she was being a heathen for reading the more erotic romance novels that she hid in her room. Of course that she did didn’t sit too well with Mama. Papa thought it was hilarious except when it got to the topic of her doing that, which was gross in her mind.

“Point taken. Though to read something like that… A brave new world,” the woman replied as she walked away forgetting the can of cat food she had selected.

Elena watched as the woman disappeared down an aisle and browse the shelves. Her eyes turned towards the place where she had been standing and noticed the can of cat food left behind. She picked it up and started looking for the woman. It was then Pepé came up and said, “Ah yes that is the only brand we have. If you want I can order a different kind.”

Elena frowned a bit. She never asked for cat food. She was a dog person. Papa had given her an Irish wolfhound, an unusual dog for this part of the country, but she loved that thing and he followed her everywhere. Everyone in Milagro knew her dog and he did cause trouble since he liked to chase chickens and make a mess. A day didn’t go by without someone firing a shotgun in the air or cursing in Spanish at Barrabás; named after the dog in her favorite book. She replied, “I was…”

“Don’t worry. Oh perhaps you will like this to play with your furry friend,” Pepé held out a cat toy for her to buy.

“I was just looking for the person who forgot this,” Elena replied. She then remembered that she was low on treats for Barrabás. She added, “I do need a packet of those biscuits. The ones that have that bacon taste and smell to them for dogs.”

“Okay.” The storekeeper went towards the back to get the asked for biscuits wondering why one of his customers kept changing her mind every two seconds.

Elena made an ‘oh well’ shrug and continued to look for the woman. It would have helped if she had seen the face but as of now, she had nothing but what she was wearing and what she was carrying. Of course that could be anyone.

Elena held tightly to her book and looked through the aisles. She didn’t hear the doorbell when it clanged to indicate that someone else was walking in. The voice though sounded nice and she risked a peek at the newcomer.

He was tall which was nice. He had shaggy brown hair that made him look like a sheep dog when it got in his eyes but the look was good on his frame. She could see that he must have worked out since he had muscle. She couldn’t see the eyes but the facial expression was rather cute. He looked a little lost but he was looking for someone. It was almost like her dog when he gave the begging look. He was probably a drifter; just stopping through town and he was probably too old for her anyway. So she went about the business of looking for the woman.

“Hi. I’m looking for a friend of mine and she may have come in here. Dark hair. Tall.”

Elena gave a slight eye roll at that. There were at least a dozen women who would fit that description in this town. Poor little puppy. He was going to get a surprise. She didn’t hear the storekeeper give the response but continued to look. She didn’t hear the bell indicating someone had left so the woman had to be around there somewhere. She continued to look around wondering how in the hell someone could manage to get lost in such a place.

 _Well Ernesto and I used to hide from Papa when we came to town for supplies._ Elena couldn’t help but smile at the memory. They used to hide behind the barrels and boxes and make Papa look for them. Granted it wasn’t funny since the old biddies thought that he was spoiling them by letting them run wild. She thought they were fortunate.

By the time they were old enough, she and her brother had been doing small chores about the ranch. As they got older, they took on more responsibilities. Ernesto was now in charge of a small herd that was his to do whatever he wanted. He toyed with the idea of setting up a spread of his own and trying to make his own way rather than take over what Papa had. Their father said if that was his choice then he would accept that.

Personally Elena thought Papa had been hurt by that decision but she could also see the pride. Meanwhile Mama had begun teaching her how to run the house and that meant cooking, cleaning and all the domestic stuff though she wished she could ride out there with the hands and round up cattle. She could do it just as well as any of Papa’s hands. There was also the fields that produced food as well as the flocks of sheep and goats and the regular milk cows. There was also the horses and mules as well as Mama’s old donkey she called El Viejo.

That turned her thoughts to her upcoming birthday. That meant that she was eligible for marriage but knowing Mama and Papa they would rather her finish school. She wanted to finish school too and she did express a desire to go to college. So she was safe for the moment but she was concerned about where the money was going to come from in order for her to go to college. Her family was well off now but college was expensive and in some communities not a lot of emphasis was placed on it. Ernesto didn’t care for much book learning but he did keep up with what was going on in the world.

“There you are. You okay?”

Elena felt a tug on her arm and she pulled away wondering who it was that touched her. The movement put her behind the next aisle and out of view. She could hear the tone of exasperation in the speaker’s voice.

“Are you pissed at me now?”

Elena wondered who it was that the guy was talking to. It certainly wasn’t her was it? On the other side of the shop she heard an argument but the voices were not distinct. She focused on her end and managed to reply, “I might be if you don’t leave me alone.”

“What did I do this time? I can never figure you out sometimes.”

Elena put the can of cat food back on the shelf and left. She slapped money on the counter for the book and walked out with it. She was surprised when a hand grabbed her on the arm and a voice said, “If this is about what I said…”

Elena whirled and grabbed the offending hand on the wrist. At the same time she swung her book at the head of the person grabbing her and she hit him. She must have hit him pretty hard and good because he grunted and released her. For good measure she kicked him in the shins and said, “Pervert,” and turned to walk away.

“Angie what the hell is matter with you?”

Elena, thoroughly angry turned around and found that she had clocked the cute guy that had come into the store. He was looking at her like she was out of her mind. There was also a hurt expression like he couldn’t believe she hit him. Well she would do it again if he thought to get fresh with her. Papa taught her a few tricks on how to defend herself. “Who the hell are you talking about?”

“What’s going on here? Sam?”

Both turned their heads to see the newcomer. Elena recognized her as the woman. She was sure because she was holding a can of cat food and a few other things. She looked a bit closer and almost shrieked. She was certain she was hallucinating. She then became bold and walked right up to the woman and looked at her and swore she was looking into her eyes. “What are you doing with my face?”


	3. Chapter 3

Sam had been hit hard before. Hell Angela dished it out when she was trying to get a point across. He didn’t expect her to actually try to hurt him. He had gone after her to try and fix whatever it was and get her to talk about what happened at the hearing. The thought occurred to him that she had already done so with Dean but for some reason she was reluctant to say anything regarding that to him and he was curious about why but it would suffice if she talked about it and didn’t bottle her emotions in.

At first he thought she was toying with him and pretending to ignore him. He realized that he made an error in judgment when she hit him and called him a pervert. That sent a warning into his brain but his eyes were processing the fact that he was seeing her hit him. He asked her what the hell her problem was and he was thoroughly confused.

“What’s going on here? Sam?”

That was when things got weird. Sam turned his head when his name was called and he saw Angela. He then looked back at the one he thought was Angela and the first thing that went through his mind was that he got a hold of a shifter. Then the memory of that doppelganger filled his head. He wondered if he was in hell or something. He stood rubbing his head as he watched the girl go up to his Angela and demand, “What are you doing with my face?”

“I could say the same thing little girl,” Angela replied to the look alike in front of her. The features of the girl were near perfect. In fact they were like how she looked before she went through the change. There were some slight differences. The eyes for instance were more whiskey than tawny and the haircut was different. All in all, it was a perfect look.

“I’m not a little girl,” the look alike pouted.

Angela glanced at Sam who was looking confused and not sure if he should pull out a silver knife or anything like that. He was rubbing his head and figured that the girl gave him a good one. She looked back at the girl and burst out laughing, “Yes you are. I haven’t seen that look since I last looked in a mirror.”

Sam wasn’t sure if he should risk anything and asked, “Angie, is this…?”

“Nope. One hundred percent human,” Angela replied with a smile.

“You’re damn right. Are you one of those shifter things in Papa likes to tell stories of?” The girl looked between the two others.

“Nope. One hundred percent me,” Angela replied. She was becoming more amused by this. She had heard of that theory that every person in the world had a look alike somewhere out there. She thought it was hogwash since that was more like there being real unicorns in a fairy land. Seeing that she had a ‘twin’ was like… Maybe she was going nuts and taking it better than most people. “One hundred percent cursed blood.”

Sam thought they were going to make a scene and said, “Un okay, Angie maybe you and your twin should come back to the motel and we can make sense of this.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you pervert.”

The stinging slap surprised everyone. The girl was holding her cheek and her eyes were blazing at Angela. Angela was looking calm with a raised brow. The girl exclaimed, “You hit me!”

“You insulted me.”

“You _hit_ me!”

“Slapped is more like it and I would do it again,” Angela replied. “Now we aren’t going to hurt you but this is a bit unusual. If you don’t mind, could you accompany us back to the motel and we could talk about this in a civilized manner? We won’t hurt you.”

The girl still looked shocked that someone slapped her like that. If anything the guy she name called looked even more shocked. It wasn’t too late and if she was back by ten, then she wouldn’t be in trouble. She agreed, “Alright. No funny business.”

“I expect the same from you,” Angela replied as she picked up the book the girl dropped. “This is yours…”

“Elena de la Vera.” The girl took her book back as she gave a slight glare at both of them.

“Angela and the one you clocked with the heavy reading is Sam,” Angela replied. She motioned for the girl to walk in front of them. She waited until the girl was completely looking ahead before giving a tentative poke to Sam’s head.

Relieved that it was the real Angela touching him Sam didn’t bat her hand away. He did wince since she caught him with the corner of her book. It was just a bump but he knew that Angela wouldn’t be satisfied until she saw for herself. He couldn’t help but ask in a whisper, “You’re not gonna hit me now are you?”

“No. I think you got enough for one night,” Angela replied with a smirk.

“Thanks. What I get for trying…”

Angela chuckled, “Believe me, I’m just as confused as you. At least the usual methods don’t have to be done.”

“Try telling that to Dean.”

“Oh the bull dog won’t be barking tonight. I’ve had enough weird to last a lifetime.”

“Don’t you mean ten?” Sam couldn’t help but tease her about her age. He was rewarded with a slight punch to the shoulder. “Hey.”

“Felt like it,” Angela replied with a smile.

Sam wasn’t mad at the punch. That only told him that she was his and Dean’s Angela. She could hit but she always did it in that family sort of way. At the moment though his mind was concerned about the girl Elena who looked just like her… well maybe a younger version but still her nevertheless. She wasn’t a shifter and he trusted Angela to know that. Hell she would know what human blood smelled like. It wasn’t the doppelganger that he had seen get sliced in half but it could be one. Maybe it was one of those enforcer things and some witch did some mojo to make it look like her. There were possibilities but what they were, he had yet to name.

“You should talk to Dean. Ask him to come to my room,” Angela’s voice came softly as they neared the motel.

“Why yours?”

“Trust me?”

The question was asked in that begging tone she used with the look. _Nice going Sam_ , he thought to himself. Sam then replied, “Okay,” and went to get his brother Dean.

****

“Did you check for possession?”

“Dude seriously?”

Elena watched as the brothers argued back and forth. Dean, the shorter one was insisting on holy water and salt and Sam, the taller one, was saying that it was unnecessary. She looked over at Angela, who was just studying her while trying to ignore the bickering. It looked like that she was used to it. What was creepy was that the staring was almost predatory and it didn’t help that she was holding a black cat that was looking at her with round amber eyes.

The more Elena studied her obviously older double, the more she came to certain conclusions. She noticed the predatory look, which seemed more nature. The unusual amount of beauty she possessed. She may look like her but no one is that beautiful and Elena knew it; at least people who were human. Plus she mentioned cursed blood. Now that could mean that maybe she had been told that as a kid and lived with that so it really wasn’t a clue.

The talk about shifters and demons was obvious that all three were hunters. _Great. Papa is really gonna love this one._ That could produce trouble if they didn’t leave or anything like that. Elena remembered that Aunt Rosa was coming tonight and she would certainly attract the hunter’s attention. That meant it didn’t matter if she got home before curfew. Mama and Papa would consider it rude that she wasn’t there to greet her great aunt.

Suddenly Angela, her double, flickered her eyes. Elena had seen that before. Some of her relatives did that subconsciously but it was always mistaken for a trick in the light. She knew now what her double was. The confusing part was that she was traveling with two hunters. The brothers were still bickering over another stupid test and she finally had enough. She stood up and said, “Alright shut up the both of you. Look I’m not a whatever. I’m human. You’re both hunters…” She pointed at herself and the brothers respectfully. She then wheeled on Angela who hadn’t moved but was still looking at her though there was a slight twinkle of amusement in her eyes. She pointed and said, “And you… I don’t know what you are doing with hunters since you could suck on their blood any time you want.”

“Hey don’t you talk like that about Angie,” Dean started.

“So you like being a blood whore to a Halfling?”

Sam and Dean were gentleman since they were dealing with a girl and not a woman and they wouldn’t hit one unless she was a supernatural thing. They were more shocked at the choice of words the girl used and a brief moment they had fear of what Angela would do since that was sort of a barred topic for discussion. They didn’t need to worry.

Angela kind of expected it from the girl. She suspected that she was familiar with her full blood kind since she evidenced no fear near her and she accepted the testing discussion with the calm of someone who was familiar with such things. She did resent the name calling and decided to teach a little lesson. She set Setna down on the table and got up and was beside the girl so fast that when she said, “I did say you were to behave yourself,” the girl literally jumped and fell.

Elena didn’t appreciate that. Ernesto did the same thing all the time. She glared at Angela and replied, “Well it’s true isn’t it? Halflings chase shadows and have been known to keep pets to bring them closer to their full blood half.”

Angela kneeled and looked down. She let her eyes flicker. If it came to drastic measures, she would completely vamp out. Right now she wanted to make a point. “Where do you hear such stories, little girl? Did Daddy tell you stories about big bad vampires with nothing but a blood lust?”

Elena was a bit afraid at what she was seeing. The eerie glow of Angela’s eyes were almost hawk like. Her relatives that could do that had more warmth in them. Who was this person? Why did she look like her? She mustered up courage and retorted, “Just that your kind are nothing but assassins.”

Angela kept up the appearance of being scary. She had seen the look of fear. The girl was used to a different look and probably from family. Strangers were another story. She knew that the boys were watching to see what she was going to do. She wasn’t going to hurt the girl and they trusted her enough not to do anything foolish though when the girl was gone there was going to be an exchange of words later.

Angela cocked her head to the side like and inquisitive puppy. She then replied, “Alas the sad truth in a long history of bloodshed but certainly Daddy mentioned something about three kinds of vampire. You named one and quite inaccurate.”

“It is so. Papa wouldn’t lie.” It sounded childish but Elena felt that she had to get one up on this Angela. It was a battle of wills and so far the elder version of her was winning. She hated to lose and she was determined to win.

Angela leaned in closer and said, “If only to protect you _bambina_.” Angela retreated and stood back up and offered a hand up. “The Chasers that have ‘pets’ are the ones that succumb to the blood lust and become like the ones hunters go after. For the most part we look like any other human out there.”

Elena hesitated as she looked at the three adults. The two brothers looked shocked at the whole thing but a sort of understanding passed between them. Looking at them, they didn’t appear to have any bite marks and didn’t look pale from blood loss. Maybe she could be a ‘good little girl’ and play nice. She reached for the offered hand and was surprised by the firm and gentle grip as she was hauled to her feet. “So… you’re a hunter? Weird and even weirder that you look like me.”

Angela smiled a bit in humor. “I could say the same thing. The last time I saw a duplicate of me it was an abomination so you can see why the confusion and the like.”

Elena looked at all three of them. The brothers seemed to relax once they realized that their friend was teaching her a lesson. She realized that for all the stories her father had told and the ones she heard from family, there was some misconceptions. She turned to Sam and apologized, “Sorry about the whole hitting and pervert thing.”

“It’s okay. An honest mistake.”

“And you can’t be too careful around those,” Dean muttered.

“Dean,” Sam retorted with an elbow to his brother’s side. “So uh sorry we scared you we just wanted to make sure you weren’t…”

“Hey I get it,” Elena replied as she held her hand up to stop any further apologies. “I look like your girlfriend so you think I’m her. Like that doesn’t happen every day.”

“Angie’s not my girlfriend,” Sam replied with a slightly puzzled frown while Dean was convulsing with hidden laughter.

“Huh. Anyway this is fun and all but are you three going to stay here or skip town. Honestly I prefer you skip town,” Elena kept her focus on the brothers.

“Hey we stay if we want,” Dean began not willing to be bullied out of town by a fifteen year old version of Angela. The thirteen year old was bad enough.

“I don’t blame her considering that she probably has a few family members that are vampires,” Angela replied with a semi tired expression.

“Yes I do have family that are vampires and no I’m not like you or them,” Elena answered. She made to leave, “And I do meant it that you should leave. Things are bad enough with the strange things going on.” She then left.

It was only after she had left that Dean said, “Damn Angie did you have to do that creepy slinky through the shadows look, which by the way looks incredibly sexy.”

Sam scowled at his brother while Angela gave a slight grin and replied, “Yes I did Dean. I suspected she knew about the supernatural but I think someone has been spreading wives tales. It wouldn’t surprise me considering she was raised amongst vampires but I would think that they would have been a bit more truthful about her… heritage.”

“So what are we going to do about it? I mean she looks like you only younger,” Dean said, “And she thinks you and Sam are together. What did you do to make her think that?”

“Bite me jerk,” Sam retorted. “It’s not like that. I made a mistake by grabbing her and she hit me. Though I was surprised Angie slapped her for calling me a pervert.”

“Reflex reaction,” Angela replied looking at nothing in particular but in deep thought.

“You slapped yourself Angie?”

“Shut up Dean.”

Angela was deep in thought otherwise she would have thought Dean’s conclusion a little funny. Right now she wasn’t worried about her doppelganger. It was a mistake and probably a major coincidence and she wasn’t going to worry about it just yet. What had her attention was what the girl Elena said. She finally said, “If you two will stop arguing over whatever you may realize that she may have just handed us a case.”

When she had their attention, she continued, “Elena said there has been something going on here. Maybe we should check it out?”

****

“You know ignoring me love really hurts my feelings.”

“Yeah and telling you to piss off should hurt even more.”

Crowley stood in the middle of the desert themed motel room (hardly original mind you) and studied the little pretty that he had come to see. He had heard about what happened in Massachusetts. It was not big secret since she actually tapped in to what caused the big hoopla nearly a year ago. He also knew that she had received some bad news and he hoped that she would finally consider her options. He grinned at Angela and replied, “Now you know that just gets my insides all warm and gooey.”

“Then maybe I could use that to make a statement to the other hell bitches,” Angela retorted as she put away her things for the evening. She saw that Setna was poised to pounce if the occasion needed it. She was surprised that he hadn’t run away.

“I love it when you talk dirty.”

“You’d love it if I stabbed you with Absolution,” Angela shot back. She crossed her arms and stared at Crowley. She knew what he was here for. At least she was certain of the reason. She had dealt with enough demons that some were good enough to have a second agenda that they kept hidden.

“Now you would like that wouldn’t you love?” Crowley gave a slight smirk. He had come just before she put up any of her wards. Then again maybe she did and she had another devil’s trap hiding somewhere like she did when he paid a visit in Darby.

Being the daring guy he was and knowing how she was uncomfortable with it, Crowley moved closer and put his hand on Angela’s check. He felt his fingers brush lightly where a doctor would check lymph nodes in the neck. As expected, she didn’t shrug him off but he felt the slight convulsions in her muscles. He teased, “Still can’t resist my touch now can you? Funny how you seem to throw everyone else who does this out the window after you already broke their backs.”

Angela couldn’t deny it. If it had been anyone else she would have kicked their ass. There were exceptions. She knew it didn’t bother her if Dean were to touch her there. Hell she was the one who put his hand on her face so he could get what she meant about her tendencies to run around in freezing weather without a coat. Sam was fine too even after she grabbed him like she was going to break his arm the first time he snuck up on her. With Crowley, it was different.

When Crowley touched her the first time, she didn’t flinch and it worried her. She hated the touch but it was like her body couldn’t respond to it. It made her uneasy and angry. She could feel her muscles quivering but it was like she couldn’t move. She could feel his fingers on her neck and they moved lower and brushed right where…

Finally she managed to move and take a step back. That area on her neck was restricted. She could still feel the hot breath of the guy and then the grazing of the teeth. If she continued on that train of thought, she could feel the teeth puncture the skin and the warmth flow of blood. That slimy tongue lapping it up…

Angela forced herself to look at Crowley and contorted her features into the indifferent anger she always gave him. She replied, “I don’t pretend to understand why you can do that but I would ask that you refrain from touching me like that again.”

“And where’s the fun in that? I like seeing you tremble until you realize that something is touching and then you try that tough girl act,’ Crowley replied. He was having way too much fun with this. “Besides I get the impression that you rather like it.”

“You’re so stupid,” Angela shot back. “I wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole.”

“Ah you wouldn’t but I could and do and I can get closer than that. It makes me feel special… probably like how it makes Dean feel special.”

“Leave him out of this,” Angela warned. She wasn’t in the mood to fight but she was willing and she had a mean punch. It would be satisfying to punch Crowley in the middle of his ugly mug. She hoped he would say something to goad her into that fight.

“Actually I won’t. You know it’s been quite some time since I presented my offer to you. How about I do it again?”

Angela knew where this was going. It had been the initial plan to appeal to the King of the Crossroads to reverse the deal. However that meant a deal had to be made. She wasn’t stupid. Someone like Crowley wouldn’t do it out of the goodness of their black little hearts. They always made deals for their best interests. Now though she felt a hint of desperation and she was tempted. “If I were to agree, what exactly would be your terms?” She crossed her arms and assumed a mask of annoyed indifference and stared at the demon.

Crowley smiled. This was the best part of the game for him. He began, “Well it’s simple. I can null and void Dean’s contract and he will be free to do whatever it is that he pleases. You can still do that hunting thing you always do.”

“And the catch?”

“What catch?”

“There is always a catch, Crowley,” Angela like a parent humoring a child.

“I could never fool you love,” Crowley replied with a grin. “Alright the catch is that you have to do a few jobs for me and we’ll call it even. I consider it a fair trade since in reality no one wants your soul and to bind you forever as a slave would produce the same result as selling your soul. We could get into trouble.”

“Trouble is my middle name,” Angela replied in sarcasm. The deal did sound pretty good. However knowing Crowley the jobs would probably entail her shaking down some smaller fry like Cary. Basically she would be the muscle for him. On the surface it didn’t sound too bad.

“I hope you aren’t seriously considering this.”

“Ruby, what a surprise. Are you trying to interrupt a business transaction?”

Angela saw that Ruby decided to make an appearance. The reason was the why. Ruby replied, “No deal. Absolution wouldn’t deal with you if it would kill her.”

“I wield Absolution,” Angela corrected out of habit. “And don’t talk like I’m not here. I know it’s my ass on the line.”

“Then don’t do something stupid,” Ruby shot back. It had been a bitch to find Angela especially after that thing in Massachusetts. She needed to keep her on the straight and narrow. “You know deals never come to any good.”

“And what has appealing to your precious council gotten you?” Crowley threw in his few cents worth. “At least you have a guarantee.”

Angela studied the two demons. Hell, probably because she dared to talk to them it was the reason she didn’t get what she wanted. The bloody council had eyes everywhere. “Alright…”


	4. Chapter 4

The morning sun rose casting the beautiful colors of the sky over the town. Certainly a picture of the scene would bring in some money if a professional photographer took it. Then maybe their town could be put on the map. However that could spell bad news for the family sine it would probably bring tourists.

Elena pushed the entertaining and saddening idea away. She wouldn’t do anything to endanger the family. However she could grumble at the tasks that she had been given by them. She could have refused as was her right but she was a pushover especially when it came to some of her favorite relatives.

She was in the main part of town early in the morning because of a request. She could only hope that the people she was supposed to bring wouldn’t refuse. More on her mind was the ruckus that would be caused by Mama and Papa. They certainly would object but then again with everything that had been happening, she was certain they would welcome the help.

Heading towards the motel, Elena hesitated, trying to figure out how to best frame her request. She did her usual habit of talking to herself to work out her little speech. It was while in the middle of her maybe third version that she was startled by a hand touching her and a voice saying, “They say that talking to yourself is a sign of crazy, but then again who doesn’t talk to themselves?”

Elena turned to see her double looking at her. “Angela right?”

“Highest marks,” Angela replied. She had been out doing a morning coffee run and managed to find a place that did decent doughnuts. She felt she owed it to Dean and since he was a glutton for the jelly and cream filled ones, she made sure she had a baker’s dozen.

The night had been interesting and she was surprised that the boys hadn’t woken up and barged in demanding what was going on. It had been rough since she was at the point where Crowley’s deal sounded really good. It wasn’t like she was selling her soul like Dean. It would have been a few jobs and then it would be called even.

Ruby’s entrance was surprising. Angela knew that demons in general would have a hard time finding her because of her little piece of body art on the back of her right shoulder. However it occurred to her that they found her through the boys. That was something else and that couldn’t be avoided entirely. So she made do with the impromptu visits from her least favorite people in the entire world and did what she did best.

Ruby came to stop her from making a mistake. That was a suspicion in of itself and one that Angela didn’t get to voice after she declined Crowley’s offer. She hated to admit that Ruby did make some fine points and she wondered if the hell bitch had been spying on her. After Crowley left, Ruby turned on her saying, “Well I hope you learned a lesson from this.”

Angela had replied, “Oh I had no intention of giving in.”

“Yes you did. Look everyone knows that it didn’t go well for you. Even Crowley knows it. No surprise since he probably gave them snippets of your little conversations.”

Angela replied with a slight snort, “Yeah he did probably. So you found me again. What do you want this time? You know the threat of me ganking your ass still stands.”

“I just came to stop you. You’re too good to be making deals with the devil, no pun intended.”

“Oh so you are concerned? How touching.”

The discussion continued on for some time and ended when Ruby reminded her that there was a reason why she shouldn’t cross the line. After that comment, the demon left and Angela spent the night thinking about it and got less sleep than what she wanted. Now she was up early as usual and doing the coffee/doughnut run. She certainly hadn’t expected to see Elena again after what happened the night before.

Elena studied her double and could make out subtle differences. It was really strange and she wondered if it was a good idea that she was obeying the instructions from Aunt Rosa. She replied, “I have a pretty good memory.”

“A gift and a curse,” Angela replied. “So what brings you here? I would have thought that last night was enough to keep you away. I know I would since I just found out that I have a human double.” She smiled to show that she had no hard feelings. She was rather curious since the girl was anxious that she and the boys skip town. Of course it didn’t help that she guessed there were vampires in the family and that was the big secret. The how she knew, she would only tell if she was asked about it. The less the girl knew about the range of her abilities the better.

Elena thought that this was going to be hard but this Angela was making it easier by being friendly even though she could be downright scary. She half expected her tell her to get lost since she did insult her friends by calling them perverts and blood whores. She replied, “I… came to extend an invitation to our ranch. My family would like to meet you.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Okay, it was my Aunt Rosa. She kind of guessed something happened last night and made me spill the beans. Now she wants to meet you and your friends. She asked me to ask you,” Elena replied feeling like she had been made to tell the truth by her mother. It was weird because the person who made her spit it out looked exactly like her only older.

“So your aunt wants to see us. Do you know what about?”

“No except she was very curious. Aunt Rosa is known for being the quirky one but no one criticizes her. They indulge her since she knows what she’s about,” Elena replied with a shrug to her shoulders.

Angela thought about it for a moment. She was wary of meeting this Aunt Rosa. Something told her that it wasn’t a simple call on the neighbor routine but something else. However it could gain them access into the community if there really was a case to be had here in Milagro. The invitation was extended to Sam and Dean as well so she would have to let them in on it and they make the decision together. “Well I have to talk it over with Sam and Dean first.”

“Yeah I get it. You hunters are always suspicious about everything. Can’t say I blame you for it.”

Angela chuckled. The girl was obviously not a hunter but she did know that there were things out there that could kill you that were not the ‘normal’ things. It was rare to meet someone who grew up with it and acted like it was normal. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. “Well when you’ve been on the job, you take nothing on chance.”

“Just part of it right?”

Angela led the way back to the motel. She chuckled as she replied, “You got that right.”

Elena watched as they neared the motel. She noticed that they were heading towards the room she had been in the night before. “Wait, aren’t you going to get your friends?”

Angela looked at the girl and replied, “I’ll wake them up.”

“Aren’t you supposed to knock and say wake up?”

Angela couldn’t help but chuckle. She was going to have fun with this one. She glanced at the boys’ door. She could pick up some stirring and guessed that Sam was getting up. Dean was being the lazy bones as usual. She looked at the girl and replied, “Watch this.”

Elena wasn’t sure what Angela was going to do. It certainly wasn’t going to be walking up and knocking on the door. Instead Angela paused by the door and seemed to think for a moment about something. The next thing Elena knew was that she was hearing one of her favorite songs and the most beautiful voice ever singing it.

_De colores, de colores se visten los campos en la primavera_

_De colores, de colores son los pajarillos que vienen de afuera_

_De colores, de colores es el arco iris que vemos lucir_

_Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí_

_Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí_

Elena felt her jaw open wide in surprise when she heard noise coming from the room. Even more surprising was when Sam opened the door and Angela smiled saying, “Buenos días,” and handed over some coffee and the box of doughnuts. All the while she was still singing.

_De colores, de colores brillantes y finos se viste la aurora_

_De colores, de colores son los mil reflejos que sol atesora_

_De colores, de colores se viste el diamante que vemos lucir_

_Y por esos los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí_

_Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí_

“Singing in Spanish now Angie?” Sam asked a bit cautiously.

Angela smiled a bit. She could afford to be nice even though there were still a few things bothering her. “Seems fitting and it is one of my favorites.”

“It would be mine if I knew what the damn words meant,” Dean’s voice sounded forth a little grumpy but fully awake.

“You wouldn’t want to know,” Angela replied. “You would be screaming chick flick moment by now.”

“Whatever,” Dean replied with a slight smirk, “So what’s the reason for getting us up early?”

Angela made a motion to where Elena was standing. “A visitor and she has something to tell us or rather ask us.”

Sam was the one peering out the door and saw the girl. He wasn’t that anxious to get close to a girl that could hit like Angela but judging from the look of things, the girl looked surprised at something. “What did you do to her?” He asked the question in a low whisper.

“I just gave my morning wake up call,” Angela replied. “Look we may have a job here and besides her aunt asked to meet us. Sounds like she a bit like the old biddy.” She said the last bit through gritted teeth to mask her words.

Sam looked at the girl and then turned to look at Dean who shrugged his shoulders. They may have a case here or it could be something mundane. It wasn’t like they hadn’t been around vampires before. To be invited to a place where they lived was new, well except for Sam. He remembered Lenore and while most people would say that he was kidnapped and introduced to them, he hadn’t been harmed by them. He looked at Angela and asked, “Breakfast.”

“Diner down the street.”

“Okay. Give thirty?”

“Give or take on your end.”

To outsiders it sounded like a very stilted conversation. However it saved time from having to spill it out. Plus Dean had been teaching her the code he and Sam used like when Sam escaped from the Baltimore PD and discovered the spirit was a death omen. Sam nodded and took the coffee and doughnuts and closed the door.

Meanwhile Angela walked back towards Elena who was looking surprised. She said, “We’ll wait for them at the diner.”

Elena followed Angela wondering what the hell her aunt Rosa had gotten her into. She asked, “What are you?”

“Just another strange being.”

****

“I don’t know about this Angie. I mean we know nothing about this kid or her family. For all we know she could be luring us into a trap.”

“Don’t think I haven’t considered that possibility Dean,” Angela replied from her spot in the back seat of the Impala. She was surfing through her computer pad to see if there was a local newspaper that was internet based or if there was anything related supernaturally to Milagro.

Dean followed the directions that the Elena girl gave him. The girl skipped during the middle of breakfast stating that she had to get back. The road was pretty dusty and his baby was going to complain to him later about being dirty. Well it wasn’t his fault that there was more dirt than asphalt. He replied, “So then why agree?”

“Elena mentioned something was going on here. I’m trying to find out and maybe this Aunt Rosa knows about it. It wouldn’t hurt,” Angela replied. So far nothing and she was about ready to give up but she was more stubborn than that. She kept trying.

“Or she could want to meet you so she can eat you,” Dean replied.

“Angie did you consider that maybe the fact that you look like Elena has something to do with it?” Sam asked the question after giving a glare to his brother. Sometimes Dean could be tactless about certain things or could say something that was just…

“Considered it,” Angela replied. Nothing on Milagro. Well it looked like local legends and papers would have to do. She pulled out the local paper and began scanning. “If it is the case then I’m sure it will work out eventually. Maybe it might be a fluke or the gods’ way of playing a mean joke on me. There is that theory though that every person does have a doppelganger out there so…”

Cavalier attitude aside, Sam wasn’t so sure. Something was fishy about it and maybe he was making too big of a deal out of it but he couldn’t shake the thought that there was more to it than meets the eye. Maybe this Aunt Rosa would provide answers or maybe they would be dropped right in the middle of a nest. Either way it may turn out to be another case. He settled back in his seat and thought about it some more but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about this town that may bring them more than what they bargained for.

They arrived at the ranch and to Dean it felt like he was in that Wild West experience. He certainly had a thing for it. He pulled in to where the Elena girl said to park and that she would handle the rest. It was a lot to put on the girl’s shoulders considering that they didn’t even know her. He glanced at Angela who got out slowly and looked around and seemed to take in everything with that maddening calm that got downright irritating since one could never tell what she was thinking.

Elena answered the door for once glad that both her parents were out at mass. She declined to go stating that she didn’t feel well. It was one of the many white lies she told whenever Aunt Rosa had a special thing for her to do. Her great aunt knew that her parents preferred to keep anything that could threaten the family away that involved the ‘skeletons in the closet’.

Elena was surprised that they did show up. They had been suspicious and asked questions the whole time she was there that she barely had time to relay the message. She didn’t doubt that they were good at their job and she half expected them to not bother. Then again, that Angela girl was pretty persuasive when she wanted to be. She noticed how she seemed to silently talk with the brothers while they were listening to her.

That kind of thing was either a mojo thing that Ernesto liked to do or they had been working together long enough to understand simple gestures. Either way, they agreed to show up. Now here they were on her doorstep. She said, “I didn’t think you would come.”

“Well who can pass up a chance to meet a dinosaur?” Dean muttered while Sam put a hand over his face and Angela pinched her nose.

Elena couldn’t help but chuckle. Even her cousins had colorful nicknames for Aunt Rosa. The old bat didn’t mind them because they were often uttered with adoration and the like. Plus even she agreed with some of them. She replied, “Well some would say Aunt Rosa is a dinosaur. Come on in.”

At least they were saved with that. Sometimes Angela wondered how it was that Sam and Dean managed to last as long as they did when Dean said things that could potentially have gotten their asses kicked or killed. It could be that it was the old Winchester luck. She pondered it as the three of them were shown into the main house that had been decorated in the manner of the Spanish homes of the dons. It certainly gave air to the cliché that vampires liked living in the past.

It was rather funny since there were quite a few elderly vampires that did appreciate the older things and liked living in the past. The oldest one she met was a 900 year old vampire that was so elderly he often mistook her for one of his granddaughters and would take to calling her his sweetheart. Of course not in the manner most people would think. That was a rather funny time since she had been sent there for some reason or other regarding the attacks on a vampire community.

What really struck Angela was how cool the place felt. It was cool enough to make someone like her comfortable without freezing the non-halflings. She said, “Seems like you know a thing or two about temperatures.”

“Comes with the territory,” Elena replied not really sure if she was revealing too much or if Angela was already confirming what she suspected was the truth. She led the way through the house to where Aunt Rosa always stayed when she made her visits. She paused outside the door and knocked.

“Come in and shut the door. I know it’s them.”

At the sound of the voice that sounded like the greatest terror in the world, Dean glanced up and looked at Angela. He whispered, “Must have ears like a bat.”

“I heard that young man.”

Angela couldn’t help but snicker. It was pretty funny to find a vampire that wasn’t polite with their abilities. She knew it was a vampire because she could smell it. The scent was that distinctive. She said nothing as Elena opened the door and led them in to a sitting room area where they saw and old woman sitting in a chair and looking prim and proper. She hid behind Sam’s tall frame since she wasn’t sure about this whole thing. She couldn’t sense any other vampires there but appearances could be deceiving. Even the old geezer she remembered could pick a fight and was vicious with it.

Aunt Rosa was old indeed but not nearly as old as the five hundred year old presence she sensed walking into the room. She was most curious about that one ever since Elena told her what happened. She had to admit that it was most unusual since this woman was a complete stranger. At least she thought she was. The stranger’s companions were a source of interest as well since she had never heard of hunters making friends with one like the one she was interested in.

She watched as they came in and noticed how the main subject of her curiosity hid behind the taller of the two young men. They were both tense as if they expected her to fly at them and drain them of their blood. No doubt they were prepared for that and she wouldn’t blame them for it. It was no wonder Diego tried to discourage hunters from staying and making tremendous efforts to stay off the radar. There were few hunters who thought first before acting. Here it seemed like the two boys fit into that category. She greeted them, “Welcome. I suspect that you are a bit nervous being around someone like me?”

“No offense lady but we generally are wary of strange people and places,” Dean replied, not caring that he sounded awfully rude at the moment.

“And yet here you are. It seems to me that you came without ascertaining to the potential threat you may face. Or do you rely on the shield that is hiding at the moment?” Rosa studied the boys. She could tell they were human right off though there was something off about both of them. One carried a heavy burden and the other… it was more related to something on a biological level.

“We came after asking our questions and we’re not stupid,” Dean countered. “So what do you want with us?”

“Dean,” Sam hissed.

“It’s all right young man,” Rosa addressed Sam. “I don’t mind. I’ve little patience for sugarcoating. My Elena can tell you that and well any member of the family could. I rather like being blunt.”

Elena shuffled a bit uneasily, “Aunt Rosa, they are here to see if there is a job. You know.”

“Why don’t you tell them? You saw it my dear or is my nephew still trying to pretend nothing happened?”

Sam picked up on that and asked, “Did something happen?”

Elena sighed. Aunt Rosa said she wanted to meet her double and now she was telling them about the ghost from Ana’s party. She was certain that there was a reason for this and as usual, she was going to indulge. She replied, “Night before last was my best friend Ana’s quinceañera party. It was going well until lights started to flicker.”

“Anything else?” Sam wasn’t surprised that Angela’s hunch was correct. She listened to conversations and could pick up on things most people would miss. Hell that was probably how she picked up on the fact that the Elena girl knew a thing or two about vampires and the new stuff that he and Dean learned about them.

“The lights flickered and the breeze picked up. Then there were things flying everywhere and right in the middle of the dance floor, there was a girl. She was dressed in a white dress and she looked like hell. She pointed at Ana and tried going after her.”

Sam looked at Dean and they shared the silent question. It sounded like a vengeful spirit. Dean asked, “Did, the spirit hurt your friend?”

“No but it got her dad. He’s okay but it would have been a lot more serious. The girl then disappeared. She kept saying ‘amor’.” Elena shrugged her shoulders. She was fluent in Spanish and she was certain even they would know what that word meant.

“So I was right in that you should bring them here,” Rosa piped up.

“Yes you were. I just hope Papa doesn’t try to run them out of town. You know how he is.” Elena turned to face Rosa. “He thinks that it will happen again with Lupe and Rosita since the girl was wearing the dress traditional for a quinceañera.”

“Sounds like we got a case,” Dean said. He was thrilled since he needed a distraction.

“Indeed though I am curious as to what your friend there thinks. Come out from behind the poor boy, girl. My bark is worse than my bite.”

Angela couldn’t help but chuckle as she replied, “I’m not afraid if you are implying that. Call it a consideration since being told the story and seeing it are two different things.”

“You are correct.”

Angela humored the old lady and stepped out from behind Sam. She walked to stand by Elena so the old woman could see them side by side. The things she did to humor elderly folks and Bobby wasn’t included in that.

“Very interesting.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Well I didn’t expect another round of royal treatment. Maybe Angie’s luck hasn’t gone south. Right Sam?”

The Winchesters were in their new digs at the de la Vera ranch. How that happened was something akin to Angela manipulating the situation or rather the old bat that took a liking to her for whatever reason. Well the most obvious was that Angela started humming a tune while the old bat called for tea and invited them to sit. As it turned out it was that song she sang that morning. The old bat requested her to sing it and Angela obliged.

Of course by that time the actual owners returned and Elena felt panicked about having them there. Dean managed to actually shine by taking the blame. He insisted that he had badgered their daughter into telling them what happened at the quinceañera and he felt obligated to stay and try to help. It was a pretty good snow job in Dean’s opinion since the mom seemed to believe him and even managed to convince the dad to thank them for volunteering to help.

What Dean didn’t expect was for the old bat to suggest that her nephew offer traditional southwestern hospitality to them. He had to admit that she was as good as Angela when she wanted something. He got the feeling though that everyone humored the old bat with her whims. Well the hospitality extended to rooms for them even though he and Sam protested that they had lodging at the motel.

Now they were in a wing of the place and they had invites to the next girl’s party but they needed to find out more about the spirit. Right now Sam was looking on the old laptop trying to find something. Angela was off somewhere having decided to hide from Elena’s parents. Hide maybe wasn’t the right word but even Dean had to admit that having a daughter who had an older twin was not exactly the sort of thing to open doors for them. “Sam?”

“This was a bust. This town doesn’t even have an internet version of their newspaper,” Sam said as he sat back looking at the search engine. It was taunting him in that he hadn’t found a damn thing.

“Not in this economy Sam,” a voice from the balcony sounded.

Dean turned to see Angela creeping in and teased, “Being a little unconventional with the spy game aren’t ya Angie?”

“Only way I could hide from the old biddy,” Angela muttered as she climbed in. “That and I would rather not be introduced to the parents. At least some more of the family are coming and some are Chasers. I’ll blend.”

“Southern belle?”

“You’re confusing porn with reality again Dean,” Sam said as he looked at Angela. To him she looked a little under the weather but then again she had been probably running around rooftops. Or it could be the heat getting to her. He got up and went to get a glass of water from the pitcher that was in their room and handed it to Angela. “So what do you mean about the news?”

Angela accepted the water. She downed it like she would whiskey and relished the coolness of the liquid. It was a hot day and she was feeling it. She wondered how the vampires handled it. “Thanks. What I mean is that Milagro is a small town. Nearly a couple of decades ago the town nearly died due to people losing their rights to water. The whole valley consisted mostly of farmers.”

“You seem to know a lot about that,” Dean said, still a little miffed at the comment from Sam but mollified that they had something to work with.

Angela smiled and pulled out a stack of newspapers and dropped them on the table Sam had been working on. “You can learn a lot when you go after back issues. Most of them cover the water rights, a protest against a resort and the latest has the story that Elena told us.”

Sam started leafing through the papers. “You think that what we are looking for may be here?”

“I think if we look for announcements of quinceañeras we might get lucky. Probably look for deaths or something. It also might help to ask questions.”

Dean studied the stack that Sam was going through. “So you think that the spirit died fairly recent?”

“Only one way to find out. Enjoy,” Angela replied as she made her way to the balcony.

“Wait, you’re not going to help?”

“Heck no. I’m going on a fishing expedition,” Angela replied as she swung one leg over the balcony. “I’m going to see el Jefe. He’s the oldest man now in Milagro. I might find something out.”

“More likely heat stroke,” Dean muttered under his breath. Louder he replied, “So you expect me and Sam to go through all this?” He motioned to the pile of papers on the table. Sam was already organizing them by date. The kid was a damn nerd and could be extreme OCD when it came to organizing his research.

“Oh I have every confidence that you can do it. You’re just lazy about it,” Angela replied with a smile. She paused a moment, “Look el Jefe speaks Apache fluently and it is his native language. I… can speak it.” At the look the boys were giving her she added, “I had an Apache boy follow me around at one point a lifetime ago. I picked up a few things as well as mannerisms. It’s a place to start.”

“That’s okay Angie,” Sam replied. He had finished organizing the papers and was starting with the most current. He found the one with the article about what happened at the girl Ana’s party. Anything would help find out what they were on the case about. “You follow your lead. Besides I think it’s a good idea that you hide out for now.” He glanced up and gave a slight smile.

Angela returned the smile with one of her own. “I knew I could count on you. I’ll be back in time for the festivities. Catch you later.” She then swung her other leg over the balcony and jumped to the ground.

Dean shook his head. “I swear that girl is going to get in trouble doing stuff like that.”

“You’re just mad that she assigned research to the both of us. Here is your stack,” Sam replied as he shoved a stack in Dean’s direction. He continued reading the article, taking in every detail to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

Sam wasn’t surprised to find that the wording was pretty simple. He kind of figured out the locals told it like it was. The exception was the de la Vera family. Talking to Aunt Rosa was like talking to Angela when she was being in a teaching mood. He read the article about failed electricity due to an unexpected wind storm. It reeked of the supernatural.

Meanwhile Dean scowled at his stack like it was the most evil thing in the universe. He looked at Sam who was reading one of the papers. He pulled the top one of his stack and asked, “Okay so what are we looking for?”

“Anything related to an attack or vicious death to a girl in a white dress,” Sam replied as he turned the page of the paper to finish reading the story.

“Could it be another woman in white?”

“I don’t think so Dean. Usually that involves something like killing the kids and herself or something like that,” Sam replied trying not to think about that case. That was the first one back on the horse for him and Jess…

Dean nodded in agreement as he scanned his first paper. “Okay so it is just a regular vengeful spirit. A spirit with some sort of an agenda then. That’s pretty typical. So you agree with Angie running around out there considering that she has a double?”

“Angie knows what she’s doing Dean. She’s pretty good with disguises.”

“Sam she wasn’t wearing one when she left,” Dean pointed out needlessly.

“What are you worrying about Dean? She knows to call when she is in trouble. Besides she told me about el Jefe before her visit here.” Sam glanced up and smiled at his brother.

Dean caught the look and gave a playful punch to his brother’s shoulder. “You bitch.”

“Jerk.”

Dean chuckled. To him it seemed that Angela was feeling a bit better and making an effort to make up for her behavior towards Sam and that was okay by him. Usually it took a case to get her mind off of things that were the usual doom and gloom. He flipped open the newspaper and began reading. Maybe research wasn’t so bad.

****

Diego stood looking at the shelf full of books and at one title in particular. He knew he had been manipulated into playing the good host by Aunt Rosa. He always was an easy mark for her and part of it was because he had that much affection for her and the other was that he respected her opinion on things. This was no exception except that he was wary of the three hunters he was housing under his roof.

It wasn’t that he didn’t respect hunters. He knew they were needed because there was always something out there that threatened the innocent and they were the ones that could handle it. What he had a problem with was that it seemed a majority tended to shoot first and ask questions later. He had seen that happen when a few family members were pursued even though they weren’t the ones killing the livestock. It was a damn chupracabra and of course those things were like vampires in that they thrived on blood. So he was always pressed to keep Ernesto out of sight or too busy for hunters to notice if they happened to pass through. Plus he also didn’t want to draw attention to himself or the family by being strange and unusual.

These three were different. Well he only got a good look at two of them. The third preferred to stay in the shadows. That had him wondering if it was a force of habit or that one simply didn’t like being around people and vampires and they were just following the other two’s lead. The two he did meet were brothers and they said that they would be able to help with the ghost problem.

What happened at Ricardo’s he wasn’t sure. He knew that it was a spirit but why attack at the party was a mystery to him. He knew that vengeful spirits had a specific modus operandi and usually haunted the place in which they died. They were tied to the object or place.

“You should give them a chance.”

Diego turned to see his wife Esperanza looking at him. He replied, “I am aren’t I by letting them stay in our house?”

“It’s a start and they didn’t attack Aunt Rosa. If anything I think they were more wary of what she might have done,” Esperanza replied in her gentle voice.

“And what of their companion? Kept to the shadows and didn’t say a word.” Diego paused before he went on a rant. He didn’t want to upset his wife.

“I think you have it all wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

Esperanza gave a slight smile. Her husband was good at protecting his family but sometimes he tended to overlook a few things. He forgot that she was good at picking up on nuances. She replied, “Their friend is not that kind of hunter.”

“A hunter is a hunter.”

Esperanza couldn’t help but give a gentle laugh. She explained, “Their friend was hiding because she is not human.” At the look on her husband’s face, she nodded, “Yes she is one of them, like our Ernesto.”

“You mean?”

“Yes she is a Halfling and probably ashamed of it.” Esperanza continued to smile and give a slight shrug of her shoulders, “Or she is one of those that is sensitive to the light. Some are you know. I think that is why Aunt Rosa had Elena extend an invitation to the three of them. She suspected something and of course made our daughter talk. You know we all indulge her.”

Diego had never considered the possibility of a Chaser being a hunter. From the stories he had heard, they were mostly the assassin types. That was how the histories portrayed them. Yet he had family that was living proof that they didn’t all do that. He was surprised because they were always alone unless they had their pets to drink blood from if they developed a liking for it. “So I have two and a half humans running around our home?”

“They wouldn’t hurt anyone that didn’t threaten them.” Esperanza smiled as she held her husband’s hands. “I got a good feeling about the boys. I have yet to see the girl and I suspect that there is a reason for that.”

“How do you know it’s a girl?”

“Woman’s intuition,” Esperanza teased. She knew that the third one was a woman because the movements were too graceful to be anything but. She had met a few graceful men but there were major differences between them and the women.

“I’ll take you on your word. I am just more worried that some of the less inclined to be polite members of the family might get the wrong idea.”

“You mean you’re worried they would start some trouble,” Esperanza clarified. “They will probably go out of their way to make them uncomfortable but they travel with a Halfling and I am sure they have met full bloods before too.”

“Hey the unruliness comes from your side of the family.”

“I would say the same for yours.”

Diego couldn’t help but laugh. He was still worried though. Hunters he avoided unless he had to work with them. He had heard the rumors of a few that killed everything because they were different. The one that was most famous went by the name Gordon Walker. However he dropped off the radar but that didn’t alleviate his fears. There was always one other thing out there and he was determined to make sure his family was safe.

****

Angela looked around the adobe building. It reminded her of the last time she was in one that was… like she said a lifetime ago. She admired how much work went into creating the adobe bricks to build the buildings. Adobe and stone were cooler during the summer unless you lived in a newfangled place with air conditioning. She was spoiled on that.

El Jefe was now the oldest man in Milagro. People said he talked to angels but Angela took it in good humor since she knew a few things. She was content to let people live with their beliefs and superstitions and in fact got a kick out of it. She especially liked the attempts to ward off the evil eye. Some made her want to laugh outright because it was so silly.

The belief in the power of the saints was one that she sort of laughed at and sort of respected. She had no religious inclinations that were anywhere near where el Jefe’s was. Yet she had been taught the ways of Catholicism and that was something you couldn’t live without in her day. She remembered the sermons and the rituals and could never understand why there was so much emphasis placed on the Virgin and the saints. It didn’t make sense so she gave up and ended tuning out the sermons. Her mother didn’t care much for them either but that was how you rolled in her family especially one that was as prominent as hers.

So now she sat looking at the old man who reminded her of that elderly vampire she liked and waited respectfully. A lot of her habits developed from when she was young and in a time when things were different. Most people thought them strange especially when she exhibited them on occasion. If Sam or Dean did, they didn’t say anything. She did try to adapt to the ages but more often she found herself marveling that some of the social niceties were incredibly lacking with the people of today. True she wasn’t one for formalities but at least she tried to be polite.

“I like you. You show respect,” the old man said in Apache.

“An important lesson taught by my mother,” Angela replied. She knew that the Apache were matriarchal in nature. Lineage was traced through the mother.

“Also from your mother’s brother.”

Angela didn’t know about that. Her mother’s family she rather didn’t acknowledge since she was not one to hang onto material wealth but she did realize the importance of having it on hand which was why she had it in banks and preferred to pretend that it didn’t exist. Besides she never really met her mother’s family. She replied, “I don’t know about that but Mother understood the importance of manners.”

“A thing lacking in young people of today.”

“They try.”

El Jefe gave a slight laugh. He liked the young woman in front of him. She had the prettiest eyes and the eyeglasses she wore emphasized them. She was neat and presentable but not above doing heavy labor if the need arose. “You have much faith in people. It is a gift.”

“I believe in maintaining judgment within my abilities,” Angela replied. Speaking the language was becoming easier. It usually was after she got going. She would sound rough at first but then it would become smoother once she became comfortable with it. She had learned many languages in her life and it was a wonder she was able to keep them all straight.

El Jefe nodded as he sat in his seat. He studied her and nodded. “Very good. So tell me, why have you come to visit this old man?”

Angela was familiar with the language but not too familiar in how to request information in the manner the Apache people did. She was certain that the old man knew that and she explained and begged pardon for her clumsy tongue. Well she might as well ask. “I came to speak of spirits.”

“Ah yes. The one that rose up after fifteen long years.”

That was interesting to Angela. She knew there were tendencies regarding spirits and usually it was related to how and when they died. The spirits at the Point were a good reminder. She asked, “Fifteen years?”

“Yes fifteen years ago it happened and no one remembers or wants to remember.”

 _Okay so something bad did happen._ Out loud Angela replied, “What happened? Did a girl die?”

El Jefe looked at the young woman across from him. Her line of questioning was all too familiar on another event that happened in Milagro. His town nearly died but had been brought back and now another thing threatened to kill it. Maybe this one will be able to stop the town from dying. That would be a miracle. He replied, “She was young, too young to die and just came of age.”

Slowly Angela started piecing it together. She continued her line of questioning knowing that the questions would prod the old man to talk. “What was her name?”

“Maria Antonia de Jesus Nevarra. She was the prettiest of the jóvenes and everyone was invited.”

“So she just turned fifteen. Was it an accident?”

“It was murder young one,” el Jefe replied. “She was killed out of jealousy and out of spite. Many said it was suicide and on the day of the mass too.”

Angela thought about it. It would make sense about the description Elena gave her. The spirit wore a white dress but maybe it was a quinceañera dress. Plus the old man said the victim has just come of age or was. She knew enough about Mexican tradition that quinceañeras were very important. It was the American equivalent of a sweet sixteen or Jewish bar mitzvah. It seemed though that there was a lot of superstition too. Sometimes it was bad luck when a young woman was found dead and dressed in white.

That she may be getting ghost stories and superstitions mixed up did occur to her but she had enough experience to know that there were bound to be crossovers and parallels. So she didn’t worry too much about it. She needed to find out more. She asked carefully, “How did she die? You said it was murder. How so?”

“Young but foolish. Promised to a young man from a good family and…” The old man went silent.

Angela read between the lines on that one. So they probably had sex outside marriage which is a big no-no and maybe…

“It’s a sin to kill an innocent.”

So she was pregnant when she died. That made sense to some people thinking it was suicide. Angela shuddered at the reminder of the scrutiny women had to go through and still went through. If she really thought about it, part of her wanted to curse the egotistical males out there for making it seem like it was the woman’s fault every time. She knew that feeling all too well. She could see why they thought it suicide but such an action was condemning. Then there was one other thing. She asked, “Did the fiancé know?”

El Jefe gave a snort. “Of course he knew. He still accused her of being a whore and said that he wanted nothing to do with her. Yet she still kept calling for her amor.”

The picture was becoming clear to Angela. They were dealing with a fifteen year old spirit who had been dormant for fifteen years and going after girls that turned fifteen. It could be that she wanted them to feel her pain as she felt it but other than that there was no connection between the girls that were celebrating this month. There had to be a connection though. Spirits were not known for being random in their attacks.

“You intend to stop her.”

Angela looked up at the old man who was looking at her. He must have seen her go deep in thought. It wouldn’t be the first time people looked at her strangely like that. The way how the old man said it though; it was more of a certainty that he knew things. She wasn’t one to deny it since she had seen shamans and medicine men and the like do their thing. She decided honesty was the best policy and replied, “Yes. I don’t think girls should be punished like that for mistakes.”

The old man nodded. He knew that this woman was special and he was vastly amused that she used a simple disguise to break down the likeness to another young lady. He could understand though. He nodded in approval and replied, “Then I wish you luck.”

“I do need something though. Where is she buried?” It was extremely blunt for her but Angela got the feeling that the old man appreciated it more. True she may be revealing trade secrets to a stranger but she got the feeling the old man knew enough things and he probably was a respected shaman in his day.

The old man smiled. He really liked this woman. She knew what was right even if she wasn’t like most of the people in Milagro. He replied, “You will find her in the cemetery near the church…”


	6. Chapter 6

Lupe stood looking at the mirror in the bathroom. She thought it was the ugliest face ever and she felt ugly. She was nothing. If Mama or Papa knew, they would tell her that she was nothing. She couldn’t tell anyone. Everyone in this damn town judged you and were always quick to blame if you were a girl. Boys got away with a lot of things. It just wasn’t fair.

Sighing, she picked up the brush. She felt like a fraud. The stupid white girls at school said it was a fashion. They had no idea what they were saying. There were some things that you didn’t mess with to the point that it was almost sacrilegious. She had made a mistake but now she was stuck in how to fix it. She brushed her hair to make herself look presentable before she went home. There was still the whole thing to get ready for.

Rosita was waiting for her outside. She looked at Lupe and asked, “You okay Lupe?”

“I’m fine. I’m just glad mass was said earlier today.”

“You don’t sound glad. Is it about that thing?” Rosita sounded concerned. She knew Lupe was having a tough time with her boyfriend but what girl didn’t? She hoped that the party would perk her friend’s spirits up.

“No. I’m glad to be considered a young lady but I’m just not that excited about it,” Lupe replied hoping that would be enough to distract her friend. “I mean after what happened at Ana’s…”

“I know. Wasn’t that just awful?” Rosita latched onto that. The incident at Ana’s party was still the talk of the town. “At least her dad is okay.”

“Yeah.”

“You know, I’m glad my parents are sharing with yours. I didn’t want Papa to be spending all that money since he has all those bills to pay especially for Abuela,” Rosita said as she smoothed her dress. She paused to look at Lupe’s and smoothed out the wrinkles that appeared. “We’ve always did everything together. Ever since we were little kids.”

Lupe couldn’t help but smile. She and Rosita were a pair just like Elena and Ana were and it was mostly based on personality. Yet the four of them were friends but they didn’t know everything about each other. They learned quickly the power of gossip and rumors especially after one nasty one that pretty much ruined the reputation of a girl in the grade older than they were at school. So the most important ones were never shared. She replied, “We have always done everything together.” _Though not what I’m going through._

“Oh did I tell you? Papa found a car. It’s used but he said that I improved my grades and he decided to give it to me for my birthday,” Rosita said excitedly. “Now we don’t have to take the bus to school anymore.”

Lupe was excited at that prospect but she also dreaded the months to come forward. She tugged at the necklace that was around her neck. It was a crucifix given to her when she was born. It was given by a friend of the family’s and she died shortly after that. People said it was a suicide but that wasn’t true. She managed to reply absently, “That would be cool.”

Rosita knew that something was off about Lupe but she wasn’t sure what. “Are you sure you’re okay? I mean I would think that you would be excited not having to take the boring old bus.”

Lupe looked at Rosita and saw the hurt expression on her face. She felt bad and apologized, “Sorry Rosie. I just have a lot of things on my mind. You know, why don’t you go down and do the greeting the guest thing. You know I heard a rumor that two friends of the de la Vera family are coming and they are cute.” She dropped the last part knowing that Rosita liked meeting new people and if they were from out of town, then that was a bonus.

Rosita picked up on it, “Really? Two of them? How cute?”

Lupe smiled and teased, “Well from what I hear, the bad boy cute for one and the other a cute puppy.”

Rosita laughed at her friend’s description. She heard that rumor too. She hadn’t been able to verify it yet but she overheard her mama talking with Señora Guerra about two friends of the de la Vera family. In the business of hunting or something like that; she wasn’t sure. “I heard that one. I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Maybe you might see them down there now,” Lupe said. “Don’t worry. I’ll be along in a little bit. I promise.” She gave that knowing look at her friend to know that she meant it.

Rosita studied her friend and then nodded. “Don’t take too long. Maybe the one that looks like a puppy will take your mind off of… you know who.” She started down the hall to head back towards the party. It was early but some of the guests were already starting to arrive. She would just let her mama and Lupe’s mama know that Lupe would be along.

Lupe watched her friend disappear down the hall of the house that Rosita’s family lived in. It had been agreed that her family would provide the location since they had a huge back yard to hold the whole town. Plus Rosita’s father wanted to return the thanks to those that made it possible for him to be able to farm his land again. Lupe’s family was in the same boat.

Previously when the dam had been built, that started the whole water rights thing and people lost their land. There were a few that refused to sell and then came along de la Vera. They were cattle folk but they had this sense of playing fair and advocated on behalf of the farmers. Others joined in and they were able to get their water rights back and now Milagro was flourishing again. Some people still considered it a backwards place but Lupe loved it. It was home.

However her current troubles made it feel like she was going to be the outcast of a home she loved. Turning away from the sounds of the party, Lupe headed towards where the fields were. She needed time to think and maybe watch the sun go down. That always seemed to help when she needed to perk up.

Tomas was an idiot and a scum. Lupe wanted to kick him to the curb but she also still harbored feelings for him. Her mind was a torrid sea of thoughts as she stood looking over the bean field. She didn’t know what to do and she was certain her mother would be disappointed. Papa would be furious and there would probably be guns going off. Milagro was like those cow towns in Texas when the men got their tempers up.

As she was walking along, Lupe felt a sudden chill. The sensation went down her spine and left an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She took a breath and she saw it come out in a plume of smoke. Something didn’t quite feel right. She looked around trying to figure out why it got cold so fast. It was never this cold in Milagro. Not even when winter came. It was unsettling. It was also impractical to be looking around in an expensive dress in a bean field but she had to find out. She felt another chill and her breath continued to come out in plumes of smoke. Suddenly she felt something come up from behind and slowly she turned around and saw something that made her scream out loud. The next thing she knew, she found herself running but she didn’t know where.

****

Angela felt she could hear the blathering of nuns in her ears about the sanctity of the church and priests saying that this was a house of God as she stood inside the church. She was not religiously inclined but she had been given a healthy dose of respect for things pertaining to religion and the usual. The last time she actually set foot in a church was probably the last time she paid Pastor Jim a visit and found him dead on the ground.

Pastor Jim was the most unusual hunter in the business because he was a priest. It made sense to Angela since they were supposedly very devoted to God and His promises and the usual Sunday school stuff. He proved very knowledgeable in hunting techniques and had an impressive collection of weaponry that could rival her own that was hidden in one of her vaults somewhere. She was most surprised though when he asked questions first before shooting.

As it turned out, Pastor Jim knew a few things about Halflings and proved it when he made her vamp out. She had come looking for a gravesite to salt and burn remains and found him in the nearby cemetery. They both found it and she had to be a bitch. In the end, he ended up saving her ass from getting creamed by the spirit. They became friends and she was the one who told him to look up John Winchester if he came by and teach him the ropes.

_You should be the one teaching him. You’re better at it._

Angela gave a wry smile as she gave a sign of the cross in respect. Jim always thought she should have taught John everything he needed to know. She didn’t get why and always refused saying that the less she interfere the better. Part of it was because she felt responsible for what happened and she still felt that. Sticking around Sam and Dean in the beginning and helping them out initially started her thinking that she could be forgiven. The other part was she was wary of hunters with vengeance on their minds.

Even after John formally met her when Dean was roughly twelve, she could tell that while he loved his boys, the thing that kept him going was the path of vengeance. Looking back she was doing the same thing only she justified it as a means of righting a wrong. Angela looked up at the altar and at the crucifix in a thoughtful manner and an amusing thought came to her. Here she was in a church and was half vampire but no holy wrath coming down to smite her.

That was a funny thing about vampires. Of the ones that were born and the Halflings, there were quite a few that believed in God and participated. Her world was so full of shades of grey that she often laughed at the distinctions people made in the lore regarding the things that she hunted. It probably made her seem jaded but even her mother had little patience for the damning machinations of the church regarding vampires. _And that was because Father was one._

“Can I help you my child?”

Angela turned to see the priest looking at her. She replied, “I’m just searching.”

“Searching your soul? Seeking redemption?”

“Every day, Padre,” Angela replied automatically adapting her voice to be respectful which included no swearing like a sailor. She could give a sailor a run for his money with the ‘colorful’ vocabulary that she had acquired.

“Would you like a confession?”

“No thanks. Just thinking and searching.”

“There is power in prayer.”

 _Don’t I know it and one response ended up being a fratello._ Angela gave a slight smile at the priest and repeated, “No thank you Padre. I just came for perspective. I’ll be going now.”

To show that she meant it, she went out through the doors. She toyed with the cell phone in her pocket and brought it out. She did need perspective since after all she did break into church records to find where Maria Antonia de Jesus Nevarra was buried. Some things never did change and one was the feeling that she was going to go to hell for breaking and entering into a church. The funny thing was that the demons did it all the time.

Flipping her cell phone open, she dialed the first number on speed dial. She listened for the sound of it being picked up and upon hearing the voice she said, “Hey, it’s me.”

_No shit Angie. We thought it was your double._

Angela rolled her eyes. It sounded like Dean was bored to death. She continued, “Any luck?”

_The OCD bitch found the first incident._

_And you’re the lazy jerk._

Angela couldn’t help but chuckle. Insults and heckling had always been a part of her life but now it held more meaning to her. She was a weird one. She said, “Okay you two what did it say?”

_Said something about high winds and bad electricity but it’s a load of crock since de la Vera said that Valle was a meticulous fellow. Hey he’s more OCD than you Sammy._

_Eat me._

“Good anything else?”

_Check this out I found an obituary dating about fifteen years back. Girl commits suicide. No details or anything._

“Last name is Nevarra right?’

_Yeah. How did you…?_

“El Jefe was very enlightening on some things. I believe that is our vengeful spirit. I just found out where she was buried. I’ll get the stuff to salt and burn. You guys make my excuses,” Angela replied as her mind started on plans for the evening.

_Hell no Angie. I’ve had enough of those parties. I got my ass kicked at one remember?_

“And I seem to recall a two timing bitch making a charity party fun for you… though not as much fun for Sam.” Angela grinned at the last part as she teased the boys.

_No fair Angie. At least I wasn’t beating off admirers with a stick and I think a grandpa was chasing after you too._

“No. You just had a nice old lady who thought you to be the cutest thing,” Angela replied. She regretted the minute she said that. She knew full well that Sam hated every minute of it. Hell he looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. She didn’t have fun either when that old pervert pinched her ass and he gave her a naughty look.

_You had to bring that up. Okay we’re even. We can help you though._

“Guys, I can dig one grave by myself and take care of it. I have been doing since you both were in diapers,” Angela retorted. She wasn’t completely helpless. She then added, “Look just keep an eye out for anything. I’ll call when it’s done.”

_No problem. Are you sure…?_

“Dean, Sam, it will be okay. I get the feeling the spirit will show up before I get all the way down to the casket. Besides did both of you forget that I have a younger me running around?”

_Point taken. Just be careful Angie._

Angela heard the concerned tone in Sam’s voice. It was a serious business in salt and burning. You did risk getting killed when you were by yourself but that was the job. Yet it was different. Ever since Darby and onward to Ellis and then Onigen and all the cases in between, both boys showed her that they were looking out for her as she would for them. Sam though had become obscenely protective like she was a little sister and she knew why. She smiled at the absurdity and yet it seemed a fitting description and replied, “I will.”

Hanging up the phone, she became thoughtful. Humming a little, she put the phone back in her pocket and headed towards the store to buy what she needed. She wouldn’t risk going back to the ranch since not everyone was on board with the fact that Elena looked like her.

****

“Is it me or is Angie being mean with the teasing?” Dean looked at Sam while he was buttoning his shirt.

“You should be used to it.”

Dean paused a moment to look at his brother. Sam was reading a book and was ready to go in the suggested attire for the evening. It was a surprise that Sam seemed to take that low blow about that job with Bela in a stride. “Something up with you Sam?”

Sam was reading a book on doppelgangers. It was an idea he got ever since they were asked to stay here. Since he had tangled with one before, he wondered if there was something supernatural at work. Right now he was reading how a doppelganger could be created. At least that explained how the hell bitch Lenya made one.

With a created doppelganger the personality could remain the same but it could be taught to do things that are not normal. Inwardly he shuddered at the memory of how the fake Angela was flirtatious and wanting to kill him. It was disturbing because that version was cold and uncaring. His and Dean’s Angela was kind, gentle and totally willing to put others before herself to the point that her health could suffer though that last part it was more of a personal fear.

What Sam was hoping to find was some explanation as to why there was a completely normal human that looked like Angela. Well a younger version and there were some differences that he noticed. The most distinguishable was the hair. Angela’s was shoulder length and Elena’s was longer. Angela’s eyebrows were arched more delicately and the eyes were tawny. Elena had whiskey colored ones. It was unsettling.

“Sam?”

Sam was startled out of his thoughts when he realized that Dean had been talking to him and he hadn’t really been paying attention. He looked up at his brother and closed the book after placing a bookmark where he had been reading. It was one of hers and he respected her property. He replied, “Sorry Dean. Is it time?”

“I’m just wondering if you have a stick up your ass again,” Dean replied.

“Just reading while waiting on you. You’re gonna wear that?” Sam didn’t want to bother Dean with his thoughts since it seemed to be a non-spoken agreement not to discuss the whole doublemint twin thing.

Dean was distracted by the dig at his clothes. “What’s wrong with this?”

“You look like you’re going to crash a party,” Sam replied. “Lose the biker boots and the jacket.”

Dean gave a mock scowl at his brother, “Fine bitch but if I get kicked out because of this then it’s on you.”

“Whatever, jerk. Oh don’t forget the usual for a spirit.”

“This isn’t my first rodeo. I know the drill,” Dean retorted. “Damn I wish I was out digging the grave than go to some shindig with you.”

“Like you’re one to pass up free food,” Sam shot back, hitting on Dean’s weakness. He checked to make sure that his gun was loaded with iron rounds and slipped a bag of salt into his coat pocket. There may be salt since they were serving food but he would rather be prepared than having to go searching for it.

Dean grumbled as he loaded his pockets with the essentials. Sam hit him with his weakness and hell Angela did that too when she wanted something. She used his love of pie though to do that. Well they could keep an eye on things until she gave them the call.

Since their hosts had limited spacing in their vehicle it became necessary to drive the Impala there. That made things easier should they need to restock. They actually blended in since a majority of the vehicles were not those pansy new age vehicles but rather those classic beauties Dean would drool over. “At least my baby won’t be lonely.”

Sam rolled his eyes in a tolerant manner. His eyes turned towards the old lady that got out of the backseat of the car. At the last minute Aunt Rosa decided to go and declared that she would go with the nice boys. Dean couldn’t argue though he tried but in the end she went with them and proceeded to observe and occasionally give a comment about Dean’s taste in music. That last part amused Sam greatly.

They were let in without much trouble and he and Dean proceeded to look around. They didn’t have much to go on and since it seemed to be targeting girls who were turning fifteen, they had to keep an eye on the birthday girl. It did have Sam wondering why they didn’t just cancel the thing. Logically it made sense.

“You look a little lost.”

Sam realized someone was talking to him and turned to see a girl in a white dress. She was smiling at him and… Was she trying to flirt with him? “No just looking around.”

“For what?”

“Nothing in particular.” Sam wished he was nowhere near the girl but since she was wearing white, there was a possibility the spirit would go after her. “I’m just here because we’re friends of the de la Vera family.”

“We?”

“Me and my brother.” Sam showed disinterest and hoped the girl took the hint. She was fifteen and she was hitting on an older guy. At least Dean was behaving himself and that meant he had made himself scarce so he could watch his discomfort from a good vantage point. _Come on Angie. Call me or something._

“Brothers? Where’s he?”

“Around.”

At that moment, his phone rang. Sam had never been so grateful in his life. He excused himself and pulled it out. “Please tell me you have something Angie.”

_It’s done. Body has been taken care of. I’ll be over soon._

That was a relief on Sam’s end. Now all he had to do was find Dean and they could be on their way. They would be out of de la Vera’s hair since he seemed anxious to get rid of them. He didn’t blame him since he had family that were vampires and he and Dean were hunters and it didn’t seem to help any that Angela was a half vamp.

As he started looking around, Sam felt a chill. His instincts told him something was up. He looked around ignoring everyone and everything. He then noticed the lights flickering. Something was wrong. Angela took care of the remains. This shouldn’t be happening. The lights continued to flicker and the wind started picking up. It was then that he noticed Dean and caught his brother’s eye.

It was evident that Dean thought something was going on and it shouldn’t be happening. Sam looked around for any signs of an appearance. Suddenly there was a loud piercing scream and a crash. People started looking up and searching for the source. Sam and Dean made their way towards the source when another scream occurred and this time near the actual party. It was then they both noticed the spirit appear. It looked like a hag as it caused mayhem and people ran away.

The spirit looked around ignoring the fact that its mojo was harming people. It was sending things flying and the lights were flickering. It was one pissed off ghost. Yet it only had eyes for the girl that had been talking to Sam. It pointed at her and started walking towards her. It was force of habit that had Dean grab an iron poker he had found and he leapt forward and swung at the spirit. It dissipated but the chaos didn’t calm.

Instead Dean found himself flung aside when the spirit appeared. She or it glared at him and looked like she was going to reach for his heart and kill him. Suddenly she screeched in pain as she dissipated in a cloud of smoke as Sam fired an iron round. It seemed to be enough for the ghost and everything died. The only sounds were whimpers and cries. It seemed that one person either didn’t make it or was seriously injured.


	7. Chapter 7

Angela had found the grave without difficulty and went to get the necessary supplies to dig up the grave. She marveled at how easily she was able to avoid awkward questions from the storekeeper when she bought the shovel, salt, lighter fluid and a case of matches. Then again he probably thought that she was picking up some missing items or something. People have come to stranger conclusions than that.

True to herself, she dug the grave pretty quickly while keeping an eye out for any signs of the ghost to appear. Sometimes when they sensed you going after them, they tried to stop you. Of course if the remains were already cremated and you had to burn something they were bound to, then that’s when the fun began because you were trying to put them at rest. She wasn’t going to waste time though and dug hard and fast.

The smell of fresh turned soil was like getting a hit of some good stuff. To Angela, it was like getting the hint of spring when new life sprung from the earth. It was life and it was death. All it symbolized was what people were; the ashes to ashes and dust to dust thing. Maybe it was a strange thing too since she had come across a few vampires who took pleasure in the same smells. In the end she liked the smell because it was… clean. It probably wasn’t the right word but it seemed right at the time.

Digging the grave with the shovel, Angela was reminded when she dug the graves for Ava and Andy. Were their souls truly at rest? There was that question about what happened when spirits are crossed over. Angela paused to look at her hands. They were dirty but she could remember them being stained with crusted blood and dirt and her nails had been nearly torn to shreds.

“Funny thing how the memory works when certain things remind it about one’s death.”

Angela looked up and out of the grave. She smiled slightly at the speaker and replied, “I’ve been wondering when you make an appearance Tessa. You missed a good show in Darby.”

Tessa looked down into the grave as Angela continued to dig. From her estimation, she was almost there. Maybe another two feet to go. She replied, “You know I have no say when a soul passes into the realm between realms.” She watched the digging being carried out with unnecessary vigor but sometimes people had reactions to what they had to do to make things in the world right such as burning remains.

“That and you’re afraid of asking the goddess to see me,” Angela teased. She paused a moment when she felt her shovel hit something hard. She was there. She cleared away the dirt and found the latches and pried the lid open. She threw out the shovel and hoisted herself up and out of the grave. “She doesn’t bite Tessa if you want to pay a visit.”

“We all have our place. You know reapers can’t cross into realms like that without express permission,” Tessa calmly explained to remind Angela. “Besides, I think you figured it out by now that place is where souls make their choice.”

“Not all of them. Some ditch their reapers and stay behind for whatever reason. Some don’t get taken and vengeful spirits pop up. You know this drill already Tessa. Why are you here?” Angela looked up as she picked up the can of salt. It was one of those small ones that held surplus to fill up the salt shakers. She could use the whole thing if she wanted to.

“Just seeing how you are. I heard about what happened.”

“Seems like everyone knows about that. Hell Crowley ambushed me when my defenses were low to convince me to work for him. Then the skank Ruby shows up and tries to tell me not to be stupid. Yep seems like everybody knows,” Angela replied as she poured the salt into the grave. She looked around when she thought she heard a noise. She didn’t need someone prowling around and telling her of or threaten arrest by the sheriff for grave desecration.

“It’s not hard to know these things when you are always near a reaper,” Tessa replied, “You just happen not to see us because of our arrangement.”

“And one that I gladly am thankful for. I have enough people telling me that I’m crazy.”

“What happened to that fallen will not happen to you,” Tessa replied. She didn’t come to lecture or anything. She knew that there was a spirit that needed to be put to rest. She was there just in case complications arose and maybe she could convince the spirit to cross over.

“But that is not entirely certain.”

“It is because you are still connected to the world of the living through your deeds and because of other things.” Tessa studied Angela as she worked to prepare for burning the remains. She had been there when Angela nearly died and she had seen what it had taken to bring her back to the world of the living. It was an interesting sight.

Angela made a slight hum as she squeezed the lighter fluid into the grave. She sprayed it all over to make her that the thing caught fire and really burned. She didn’t do half assed jobs since that could reap in consequences worse than a vengeful spirit being pissed at you. “Yes the choice was mine to return and I know my reasons why.”

“I didn’t come here to talk about that.”

“I know Tess but there is nothing to be done except extreme measures,” Angela gave one last look at the remains and her thoughts went to the poor girl.

She wasn’t a true feminist in any sense of the word but she did have a beef with the patriarchal crap that was used on women. She didn’t believe in the bra burning but she did believe that women deserved equal respect for skill and talent no matter what it was in. At least the boys treated her as an equal in many things. She was also wise enough to know that she couldn’t do everything like a man could and it didn’t hurt to ask for help every now and then.

“I hope you don’t mean…”

“I’m not crossing the line and making a deal, Tess. Not with the likes of Crowley or any of his minions. What I meant was facing worst fears.” Angela lit the match and set fire to the matchbook. She then deftly dropped it into the grave and watched as the remains caught fire. That was one more thing done and they could be on their way to the next case. Maybe Bobby would find something.

Tessa studied Angela’s profile. “I see. I am guessing that such a decision was not made lightly.”

“Every life and death decision gets utmost consideration,” Angela replied as she fished out her cell phone. “It is foolish to rush in blind even if by sheer dumb luck that road succeeds.” She looked at the time.

The boys should be at the party and keeping an eye out on things. Though with Dean, he was probably chowing down on food. The man had a thing for the American idea of Mexican food and she got an entertaining thought on what his face would look like upon seeing things like cerviche and nopales being served. It was entertaining to think of it. Since he was probably gunning for the food, she figured it would be best to call Sam. He took the job seriously and it pained her to see when he got discouraged at another failed idea of saving his brother.

“Yet dumb luck works for you like planning does.”

“And is more frustrating to work with,” Angela teased. She sighed, “Don’t worry Tess. I know the rules and my principles. I couldn’t do that to them anyway. After the cards were placed on the table regarding Dean and the rollercoaster that followed, I just can’t. Not to them unless there was no other choice.”

“Yet you still won’t tell them about the choice you made.”

“And suffer through them citing reasons not to go through with it? Not an option but I won’t be alone in on this.” Angela caught her breath as the remains continued to burn. The flames would die out on their own and she would stay. “So you came to give a pep talk?”

“More or less. Believe it or not there are a few of us who genuinely like you. Maybe not pleased that you ‘cheat’ death on a regular basis but we do like you.”

“Not for my charming personality I’m sure,” Angela deadpanned, “Few can stand that.”

“Partially but mostly because you respect what we do. You may not like it but you respect that and that says much. You could say that it is your selflessness,” Tessa replied aware that she may be overstepping boundaries but she did promise.

“Yes my respect has won me a lot of points in that regard.” Angela cast a wry grin at Tessa. She entered the first phone number that came to mind and hit send. She held it up and waited until it was picked up. She couldn’t help but smile at the desperate tone that Sam’s voice took. If she had to venture a guess, he was probably being assaulted by teenaged girls flirting shamelessly at him because he was from out of town. She was also aware of a faint concern that it was distressing him too much. She couldn’t blame him for that and she felt annoyed too. She had observed these girls and half the time she wanted to strangle them. Usually the icy glares she sent worked but she wasn’t there to fend them off and she felt bad.

Tessa watched the expressions flit across Angela’s face. She had been asked to check up on her but she didn’t expect this and she wasn’t sure how to handle it. Reaping and death were her forte. She listened as Angela told whoever it was that it was done and that she would be over soon. When she hung up the phone, she asked, “Trouble?”

“Of the non-supernatural variety. Some people just don’t get it when someone says not interested. Damned annoying,” Angela muttered as she pocketed her phone and picked up the shovel. The grave had to be reburied. It might cause confusion in the morning but they might chalk it up to grave robbers. That usually worked and hopefully it wouldn’t make it back to Agent Henricksen’s ears. The man liked her but she knew he would rain holy hell on her if he knew she was with the ones he was supposed to be after. She prayed that day would never come.

Tessa was unaware of these thoughts but could see that Angela was already making plans for something else and probably related to her phone conversation, “I take it you have a plan to deal with it.”

“Icy glares Tess. They always work.”

“I guess that is why they call you the Ice Queen.”

Angela couldn’t help but burst out in laughter as she filled the grave. Reapers were not known for a sense of humor. To hear a joke from one and Tessa was most serious of them all, it was hysterical. It also served to provide fuel to hasten the grave refilling. It took her less time to fill the thing than to dig it up. “I never pegged a reaper for a sense of humor Tess but that was pretty good. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I think.”

“I gotta go.”

“Don’t be afraid of it.”

Angela paused at that farewell. She looked at Tessa who was still standing at the grave and looking at her. It was a strange one but it made some sense. She decided not to dwell too much on that since she figured it had something to do with what she talked to the reaper about. She knew she was going to have to sprint if she wanted to get back to the boys and make plans to skip town in the morning. She would let Dean drive this time. She wasn’t going to run anymore but she wasn’t going to tell what she was planning either.

It was a surprising sight when she finally made it to the farm where the party was being held. She saw an ambulance and the sheriff’s truck. Great something happened but what? If she got in the way, it would bring unwanted attention so she needed to get close enough to find out what happened. She noticed a gurney being loaded into the ambulance and she saw a white dress covered with blood. That couldn’t be right. Maybe something happened and at that moment a surge of panic that something happened to the boy coursed through and she started searching.

A look about the place and Angela saw what she could call chaos. The area was a mess like a tornado hurled through. There were some guests who were injured but they were minor. A lot of faces had shocks of disbelief of the whole thing. Angela had seen spirits tear up a place but this looked like a domestic dispute on overdrive. For once she wasn’t worried about being mistaken for someone else. She was still wearing eye glasses and she looked like she was ready for a mountain hike. No one seemed to notice her except for Aunt Rosa who grabbed her arm and pushed her away from the scene.

For an elderly vampire she was pretty strong and Angela commented on it, “You got quite a grip there.”

“Not the old bag you thought I was,” Rosa replied with a smirk. “Don’t worry about them. They were out of here before the sheriff showed up. They are at the house with the rest of the family.”

“So I take it you volunteered to fetch me?”

“The younger one was insistent that he wait and that you were coming. I told him that I would look for you.”

Angela felt waves of relief that the boys were in the background so to speak and out of law enforcement’s limelight. She didn’t need another crisis so soon. She asked, “What did happen?”

“More to the story I think. After this, people will be afraid.”

****

“I thought you torched the corpse Angie.”

“I did.”

“Salt and burned right?”

“For the love of Pete I know how to do a damn salt and burn Dean!” Angela couldn’t help but shout. She had been going over it again and again in her mind ever since the old bat brought her back to the de la Vera property. She missed something but she couldn’t figure out what it was.

Dean for his part was upset because Sam almost got killed. “You think you were never introduced to hunting. Can’t even do a simple salt and burn.”

“Dean.”

“Oh and you’re so perfect?” Angela countered. “Answer me this, are you pissed because Sam got hurt? You looking for someone to blame. Lay it on Dean cause everyone else does.” She waved her arms in an exasperated manner.

“I didn’t say that,” Dean retorted, “And that’s not true.”

“Stuff it,” Angela replied as she stomped off towards the balcony and started pacing the length of it. She didn’t notice that Dean had followed her out there. She kept muttering in whatever language seemed convenient at the time.

“Blow it out your rear Angie.”

“You wanna make me,” Angela replied when Dean spoke. She stopped pacing and eyed Dean with a challenge.

“You two stop it.”

“Shut up Sam,” both Dean and Angela said in unison. It was not about casting blame. Both were pissed that they missed something and were venting.

“Your call Angie,” Dean challenged.

“Take your best shot little bull dog,” Angela taunted with a smirk on her face.

“I will.”

After the verbal spat both charged at each other and actually started grappling. Sam watched the whole thing and wondered if demons were possessing the two people that mattered the most to him and making them duke it out. It was nobody’s fault. They obviously missed something and maybe there was more to the whole haunting thing than a suicide maiden thing. Perhaps the spirit was tied to something in common with the three girls that were attacked. He wanted to point that out but his brother and Angela were busy talking and… were they talking about it?

“I torched the corpse.”

“Yeah but two girls were hurt, one more serious,” Dean blocked the blow that Angela laid out. At least she wasn’t using her fists but the slaps hurt. He felt himself being grabbed in neck grip. “Must be something else we need to torch.”

“I’m open for suggestions genius,” Angela taunted as she suffered Dean’s counter of him actually laying her flat on the ground. She was ready when Dean straddled her neck in an effort to pin her. She grinned and reached up and pulled the front of Dean’s shirt and yanked so that he was pulled forward. With momentum she rolled with him and ended up on top and him struggling underneath. “The story fit right but there has to be something to it. Did you see anything?”

Dean writhed underneath the pin until he had an idea. He didn’t have a long enough reach to do that contortionist move that Sam fell for every time. He went a different route and when she sat straight up, he pinched her. It thoroughly startled her and allowed him to break free. He replied, “Saw a girl with a white dress. Seemed like she wanted to get everyone there but she looked like she didn’t want to.”

The pinch surprised Angela. Dean had pinched her outer thigh but she didn’t expect it. It allowed her to lose focus for a little bit and he shoved her off. Well he was going to get it. As he was getting up she slid in and grabbed him by the waist and responded with a tickle attack that made him collapse on his stomach. She wasn’t above playing tricks like that and she knew their weaknesses. That allowed her to get on Dean’s back and she centered her weight to make it impossible for him to move. “So we’re dealing with another death omen like Mad Eye.”

Dean grunted. He knew she was evil when it came to fighting dirty. Now he was reaping the consequences. He couldn’t get up but he wasn’t going to tap out. “Maybe the old coot you talked to forgot to tell us something.”

“Always a possibility,” Angela replied not moving. It was Dean’s fault if he didn’t want to tap out.

“What if there are two spirits?” Sam’s voice cut through the ‘discussion’. Once he realized that they weren’t mad at each other, he saw that it was very much like the last ‘fight’ he and Angela had and that was over Ruby. He had to admit that Dean was pretty creative in getting out of situations though he didn’t like it that he pinched her.

Angela looked at Sam but didn’t get off of Dean and replied, “That’s viable. Did you find anything in obituaries?”

“Well the same day the girl died, another kid did. Car accident and it looked like he was dressed for a party,” Sam replied. “Are you two going to call it a night?” He was hoping Dean wouldn’t be stubborn about trying to win. Then again this was Dean.

“Not on your life Sammy. I’m not tapping out,” Dean replied. He couldn’t get up but he could still put in a good fight. He was resourceful since he did come up with the idea to pinch her. Yet that had her play dirty too.

“You can’t do anything in that position Dean,” Angela replied. She was done now. What Sam suggested was a viable choice. Then an idea struck.

Not being gentle about it, she pushed her hands onto Dean’s back to get up and walked over to where the papers were scattered as well as a few books. She ignored the grunts and the slight cussing since she was used to it. What if…?”

“You could be a little more gentle Angie. That was supposed to be a sparring session,” Dean complained as he got up and stretched his back. He turned to see Angela digging for a book off the shelf in the room that he and Sam were staying in. If anything the de la Vera family loved books. He should have known that she would have noticed that detail.

Sam was curious too. “Angie what are you getting at?”

Angela pulled out the paper that had the marked obituaries and then the article of the first attack and laid them side by side. She studied them for a moment and then went to the library shelves in the room to where she saw that book on traditions and rites of passage earlier. She pulled it off the shelf and began looking through the pages. “I think I may be on to something. Just give me a minute.”

Dean looked at Sam and Sam shrugged in return. It was best to let her think things through and put it together rather than pester he for it. However Sam couldn’t resist looking over her shoulder as she started making notes on a scrap of paper. Even when she was in a rush her handwriting looked like it was engraved. Chicken scratch looking like it was engraved. That was a new one.

“Angie you’re killing us here,” Dean said.

“Well I think Sam is right in that we have two spirits at work and the cause is strangely enough societal pressures.”

“Excuse me?”

“Societal pressures may have triggered the spirits to rise up,” Angela replied. She then looked through the more current editions of the paper until she found what she was looking for. She tore it out and laid it next to the main article about what happened and made more scribbles while holding the open book in one arm. “Damned double standards crap it should burn in hell,” she muttered.

“Angie, you’re ranting again,” Sam said quietly.

“I know,” Angela replied as she found what she was looking for. She put the book down and pointed at the entry. “That is what we missed. The whole thing is a punishment to the town.”

Sam peered at the entry and then scanned her notes. His gaze then drifted towards the articles and the obituaries. The wheels in his mind started turning and it began to make sense now. There were still a few problems but they had more of a foundation to go on. He nodded in affirmation and replied, “I see what you’re getting at.”

“Yep first water rights and now a ghost problem. Makes me wonder why they named the town Milagro,” Angela replied in agreement.

“Hello,” Dean waved his hand, “What are you two talking about? Angie did you figure out what the major problem is?”

Angela gave a knowing smile in Sam’s direction and felt warmed when he returned it. She may like to get her hands dirty but she enjoyed research and could be a bit of a dictator much like Sam. They always thought on the same level when making connections and she gave him a compliment when he told her how he figured out where to start looking for her in Darby. She replied, “It’s all about the quinceañera and what it means.”


	8. Chapter 8

“I don’t get it.”

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean. Sometimes his brother did that on purpose since he knew that he couldn’t resist giving the entire history lesson lock stock and barrel. Other times it just didn’t click. He asked, “What’s not to get Dean?”

“What is the big deal about a quince… whatever the thing is?”

Angela put a hand to her forehead and made a slight rubbing movement. Most of the time, it was a means to hide the laughter that threatened while at other times it was to hide potential headaches that cropped up from time to time. The headaches were rare but full migraine force especially when she touched something and she was given a vision and she hated those. Damned Creator had a mean sense of humor with her. This time though it wasn’t because of laughter.

_There were lights and the crucifix was in front of her. There were four girls. Three were covered in blood (what a morbid scene) and one wasn’t. They were going through the Thanksgiving mass that was traditional for the birthday girl. She then saw the spirit._

_The girl looked just like her picture in the obituary. She was pretty but she was also sad. She was standing with the boy and she was pleading. She then said something but Angela couldn’t hear what it was. The boy was angry and he killed her. When he was finished, he pointed at the four girls._

_The image then shifted and something appeared in front of Angela but it was slightly blurry. There were four of them though. Four what?_

_Angie?_

_Four what?_

“Angie?”

Angela was brought back to reality but her hand was still on her forehead. She had to figure it out. What were those four things? God it was giving her a headache. She knew she should stop thinking about it since she was fresh out of a vision. Yet she couldn’t let go. She had to know. It could be the link between the girls even though she had suspicions. What was the connection? It was maddening and she closed her eyes to bring it back.

Suddenly something touched her hand, the one on her head. She had to find out. Now her hand was being moved from her head but her eyes were still closed. God she hated this and she was sure He knew it. Mean sense of humor her ass. It was torture. Her chin was grasped gently.

“Angie, you okay?”

Angela gave up. The headache was too much. Damn visions were always enigmas anyway. Sometimes it was manipulated by what you saw on TV. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into a pair of hazel puppy eyes and a mop of shaggy hair. Focusing she replied, “What?”

Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. He and Dean had been going back and forth about Dean playing dumb on purpose just to be an ass. Of course sometimes Dean was a bit slow to make connections between things but he was usually pretty quick. He just did it on purpose so he had an excuse to tease Sam about being a nerd.

They had been so absorbed in their back and forth that they didn’t notice Angela. She usually preferred to let them argue things out until it got to the point where fists would fly. That was rare if ever. Sam always suspected that she liked the good, the bad and the ugly regarding his and Dean’s relationship. She admitted as much and he took it to mean that it meant everything. Anyway she had become quiet until Dean noticed her rubbing her forehead.

Dean tried talking to her and made the mistake of tapping her shoulder. She ended up blocking and shoving him back with a palm thrust. When Sam tried, he was ready for it and caught her hand and talked to her. It was apparent that she had no idea what she had done and he hoped Dean wouldn’t bring it up. He repeated his query, “Are you okay?”

Finally focusing Angela blinked a couple of times. The headache was still there but she was back on earth. She replied, “Not really. I need an aspirin or better yet a stiff drink.” She realized Sam was still holding onto the hand he removed and used her other hand to rub her temple. “Fate has a strange sense of humor and a mean one.”

“You need to sit?”

“Well el Jefe was right in that she was killed and stupid boyfriend did the deed and then gets himself killed in a car accident. The kind of intrigue that makes the job interesting,” Angela said ignoring the question. She had tugged her hand free from Sam’s grasp a little reluctantly which startled her but she had to focus on the case. So far they had been lucky in that none of the girls had been too seriously hurt meaning that they weren’t going to die.

Angela sat in a chair and mulled through her thoughts allowing the buzz of the headache to run its course. It almost surprised her when Dean’s hand shoved a couple of aspirin in her face along with a glass of water but she thanked him. She downed the water and said, “Well that was fun.”

“Vision?” Sam asked with concern in his eyes. He knew she had visions but the fact that she had gone so long without one was a little unsettling. That or she hadn’t been telling either of them she had one.

“How’d you guess?” Angela replied with slight sarcasm. “Yeah whatever I was babbling about is pretty much it. It has to do with the quinceañera thing.”

“I seriously don’t see the point,” Dean replied after getting another glare from Sam.

“It is a serious thing Dean. It’s the equivalent of a sweet sixteen or a debutante. It is a rite of passage in which the transition from a girl to a woman takes place. Here it takes on serious religious overtones and they are observed fairly strictly.” Angela put the empty glass on the side table and rested her chin on her hands and her elbows rested on her knees. “It varies from region to region in Latin America but for simplicity’s sake I am assuming it follows Mexican tradition hence the religious overtones which include no sex before marriage thing.”

“So what does that have to do with this case?”

Sam snorted, “Dean, the girl died because of some shame and I think Angie’s ramblings stated that the boyfriend did it and then he died in a car wreck.”

“So we have two spirits at work then?”

“Yep and it is a punishment to Milagro because of the social thing about girls getting pregnant before they are married and double standards. There is also the whole get caught and you get married thing. Boyfriend probably had something going and she probably threatened to tell and it got out of hand. I don’t know exactly and that kind of thing is not always talked about freely in places like this.” Angela massaged her temples now that the aspirin was kicking in. It eased the throb and gave her an excuse to tune out things a little bit. “I do believe though that the four girls are connected. Through what, I don’t know. It warrants investigation.”

“Probably because they are all turning fifteen?” Dean posed the question as if it were the obvious thing.

“The vision focused on an object. Four of them, but it was blurry. Like I said, mean sense of humor.” Angela stood up and walked out of the boys’ room. She wandered down the halls for the need to do some sneaking around. The night hadn’t gone so well and she wouldn’t be surprised if de la Vera kicked them out.

She wandered through the house and passed through the halls thinking. She was about to pass by the library when she heard voices. One was de la Vera and the other was the old bat. They were arguing and apparently about them being there. De la Vera was saying, “The blustering one said that they could take care of it but they didn’t. I am not going to risk my daughter’s safety.”

“Maybe if you had told them what they were up against instead of treating them like they were outsiders, they would have covered all angles. Nobody is perfect Diego.” Aunt Rosa’s voice was calm and Angela could see how such a voice could drive anyone to be angry. She knew she did that.

She knew that she was eavesdropping and that it was none of her business. However she couldn’t help it. After all the family trusted them to keep them safe and she wouldn’t blame them if de la Vera wanted them to leave. He hadn’t even met her yet but it looked like he didn’t trust a half breed. She didn’t blame them.

“But they are hunters. They are supposed to look for things like this.”

“Seems to me that you are finding excuses to get rid of them. What is it about the three of them that you don’t like? Are you afraid that they aren’t going to take to the rest of the family that will arrive tomorrow?”

Diego paced the length of the library. “Actually I’m more afraid for them. Some of the family doesn’t like hunters too well. Not even the ones that do ask questions before they shoot. I’m worried that someone is going to think they are a snack.”

“Not if the Halfling has anything to say about it,” Aunt Rosa replied.

“Esperanza told me they traveled with a Halfling but I never met her. How do you know so much about her?”

Angela was curious about the answer herself. She strained to hear when she heard, “Don’t worry about leaving.”

She turned to see a young man with dark hair and dark eyes. His complexion was tanned olive and he had a muscular frame. He had a kind smile. She replied, “And how do you know that?”

Ernesto studied the woman. He had heard that hunters were staying at the ranch but he didn’t figure on one of them being a woman. She had a playful smirk about her that was hidden by an earnest desire to do the right thing. He thought she was the most beautiful woman around and that wasn’t because she looked like his sister. “Dad’s just scared for Elena. She’s literally Daddy’s little princess. That and because we’ve had trouble from hunters before.”

Angela knew she was missing out on some important information talking to the boy in front of her. Yet she sensed that he was worth talking to. “You must know that we don’t mean harm and we are sorry that the girls were hurt.”

Ernesto knew that if they continued to stand near the library, they would get caught. He motioned for her to follow and was surprised that she did. Now that they were walking, he guided her to the corrals where some of the horses were grazing. Leaning against the fence he said, “Dad knows you don’t mean harm. I think he is surprised that someone like you was around.”

“You mean a Halfling?” Angela replied. “I would think he would be more accommodating since his eldest child is one.”

Ernesto turned to look at the woman. “How do you know about that?”

Angela looked at Ernesto with a wry look. She tapped her nose and replied, “There are things about our kind that one learns along the way. One of them is a good sniffer. Some are better than others.”

“I’m guessing that comes with age.” Ernesto let the comment loose and realized his mistake. He added, “I apologize. It was rude to speak of a lady’s age and I didn’t even give proper introductions. I’m Ernesto.” He held out his hand.

Angela grinned and grasped the boy’s hand and replied, “Angela. Pleased to meet a fellow Chaser.” She chuckled and rested her arms on the fence. “Well I guess you have questions since I am sure the stories you’ve heard are contradicted us being here.”

“Plenty. I would like to know more about certain… things.”

Angela laughed, “I know that feeling. I could write a whole book. Well what would you like to know?”

****

“So you’ve gone from hunting to rustling. How many talents do you have love?”

Angela glanced at Crowley as she rubbed down the horse she had been petting. Ernesto had shown the mare to her commenting that she was a wild one. The hands thought she had a devil inside her which was why she couldn’t be ridden. They had been trying to break her for days. It was late but she had spent most of the night getting acquainted with the mare. It certainly was a surprise for Ernesto since animals were sensitive to the supernatural and could tell what was human and what was not.

Angela corrected him stating that animals could see into a soul and personality. They knew which ones had fear, anger, kindness, respect and they responded accordingly. It certainly was a surprise to the boy when the mare didn’t try to kick her or bite her when she walked into the corral. He left her after she spent two hours calming the mare and muttering soothing words.

Angela had always been a softie for animals. She gave her love to even the more feared animals which was why she could handle snakes like they were nothing. They seemed to know she wouldn’t judge and part of it was because she had been judged after her eyes had been opened. It was like that phrase of killing them with kindness and it worked.

She glanced again and saw that Crowley was still there. She thought that he would get the hint when Ruby decided to show her colors for the hunters. She figured wrong. She replied, “I don’t steal cattle though I did once and almost got caught. Good thing Texas was so ‘forgiving’.”

Crowley wrinkled his nose at the smell of animal. He stayed away from the animal his little love was rubbing down since he could tell the thing was itching to take a bite out of him. “Forgive me. I forget how… politically correct you are about certain things.”

“I take issue when it’s deliberately made wrong to incite anger and irrationality,” Angela replied using her vocabulary. She knew that it would piss the demon off.

“Which is why I keep coming back for more.”

Angela steadied the mare as she gave a huff and a snort of annoyance. She made slight murmur that sounded like babble noise but it soothed the animal. “You just like punishing yourself Crowley.” She moved to put the brush back on the shelf and gave a slight look, “You know I’m not going to go for your proposal. Not in this lifetime.”

“Maybe not now but a few lifetimes back you would have,” Crowley replied as he watched her go about her business. Even though she kept burning him on his business proposals, he could resist her. He couldn’t resist seeing her and going through the ritual of goading and implying. It was a game and an obsession.

“If you’re referring to the days of the Slayers, then I do admit I might have.” Angela walked back to the mare. She began stroking the animal with both hands making sure to take note of the sensitive places.

“And that would have happened if I had known about you then. You are like playing with fire love. Beautiful and deadly; capable of giving warmth but also burning.” Crowley risked the animal’s wrath to reach out to touch Angela on the side of her neck.

Angela felt her muscles in her neck twitch when he touched her. Since her hand was on the mare to steady it, it didn’t try to take a bite out of the demon though she really, **really** wanted her to. She swallowed and felt her throat convulse as she tolerated the touch and replied, “And if you’re not careful you might get more than a minor burn.”

“Ah there’s the fighting spirit that I like to see. You know I really am sorry about how things went down for you with the council. Surely you must have known that they were not going to interfere with such a tantalizing deal?”

“I did. I was in denial. Sometimes I fall under my own spell,” Angela replied as she deftly removed Crowley’s hand. At least she was getting better at getting him to stop touching her.

“You know I think part of it was the fact that you were there and did nothing to stop it.”

If Crowley thought that was going to make Angela angry, he had another thing coming. She looked at him and replied, “The council, with the exception of a few, think that all champions must adhere to this purity thing in terms of serving as the shield for humans. Black and white is their game.”

“You’re like me. You don’t believe in black in white but shades of grey.”

“Oh I believe there is a fine line between black and white. It’s just the definitions of black and white. Most people think black is evil but that is not always the case.” Angela finished petting the mare and pulled a blanket off the shelf and started putting it on the horse. The night was balmy and she didn’t want to risk the mare getting sick.

“So you believe that black can be the light? Interesting since I would have pegged you to be a white being the light.”

Angela chortled at that. Her principles were anything but simple and it came from the centuries of experience. She was well aware that the council refused probably because of conversations like this. She knew that she should have slapped him in a devil’s trap and exorcised him or sent him into the deepest pits of hell but she couldn’t. The first time they met and the first time he touched her had her unable or unwilling to and she couldn’t understand why.

She was very familiar with the phrases regarding dealing with the devil. Yet this devil she was talking to refused to be banished. A small part of her hinted that she and Crowley were a pair in terms of how they saw the world in all its complexity. That didn’t mean that they were an item. She would just as soon as go back to Lenya’s games and tortures in the pit than do that. The very thought of it was well…disgusting.

There was also the fact that she did help broker the deal, piss poor as that was. By rights in terms of her heritage she had the ability to make deals as long as she had the appropriate means of doing so. She was well aware that selling the soul was like an ultimate no-no. _Bloody hypocrites._ Angela looked at Crowley and added, “I can’t force anyone to do anything. The one thing that the council should have remembered was that there is a thing called free will. He went into the decision willingly.”

“Yes and you were just as willing to give yours over.”

“But as you are so fond of pointing out, it could get you into a lot of trouble,” Angela replied in a condescending manner. “How that could be really surprises me. What could possibly scare the big bad king of the crossroads?”

“You should know.”

“What do you need help filling in the answers?” Angela raised her brow in a mocking manner. She had no time for this. She needed to think how they were going to get everything and salt and burn the remains of both spirits.

Crowley was not one to lose his temper and his little obsession was driving him crazy. He flew off the handle and grabbed her on her upper arms and rammed her into the wall of the stable. He knew his grip was tight and he felt this urge to snap her neck. He was pleased that she was showing no fear with him. Rather she was glaring full force. He could feel the anger burning beneath the surface. He replied, “If I were you, I would start paying attention to the larger picture love.”

Angela felt the grip on her upper arms tighten. She glared in anger and with gritted teeth, she brought her hands up and shoved Crowley hard. “Keep your hands off me!”

Crowley grinned in response, “Now that is the type of response I like to see. Perhaps if you had shown that your precious council would have been more inclined to rule in your favor.”

Angela was glad to be free of Crowley’s touch but she was still angry. “Maybe so but they could hardly expect me to go against my nature.”

“Yes. We are what flows through the veins. Me I’m just one of the higher up middle men for the pit. You, born with the blood of a creature that feeds on the very people you protect. One can hardly expect you to act against what you are.”

Angela had been studying the landscape through the window of the stables. It served as a means of calming her temper. She had the same thoughts almost every day for the past few centuries. It was always an internal debate of nature versus nurture, the bad genes theory and bunch of other things that humans used to justify their behavior. Half the time she made little excuse for her behavior by citing that she did what she did because it was right at the time. The other half was debating on whether or not she judged correctly.

“Look I know what must go through your head love. I mean your time spent with the princess of the pit surely put things into perspective for you.”

“You have no idea,” Angela replied nearly in a whisper. The nice thing was that Lenya hadn’t pestered her in a while. Part of it was because Lenya knew when to take a break and she liked giving a false sense of peace before she showed up. The other part was the source of continual frustration to Dean. Then a thought occurred to her and she said, “Answer me one question Crowley, how is it that you are able to find me? And don’t tell me that you keep track of the Winchesters since I know you like a challenge.” She pointed her finger in warning to Crowley. It was a sudden change from the physical force exerted earlier.

Crowley gave a slight smile. He liked her and as he admitted to himself earlier, he was obsessed with her. He could see why others liked her and obsessed over her. He replied, “Well let’s just say that the moment a certain little worm told me that a vengeful little virago was looking for me, I started paying attention.” He knew it would piss her off to touch her again but he knew she wouldn’t protest. No matter how angry she got about him touching her, it took full minutes for her to shove him off. He touched her shoulder right above her tattoo and added, “Even though there are certain precautions to… protect you there are ways to find what you want.”

Angela deftly removed Crowley’s hand and turned to face him. That was quicker than any other time and probably because she was focused on getting her answers and getting rid of Crowley. “So you played with my protection. Typical.”

“It was easy love. Once you know what to look for. Plus I heard you had an interesting theory about how to look for people like us.”

Angela perked up at that. That was only a theory and the results were… She had her partner at the time destroy the evidence. Such a thing could prove disastrous in the wrong hands. She had never mentioned her theory to anyone. Someone must have been spying and it put her on alert. She replied, “I highly doubt you heard that. There is no such theory.”

“Oh I believe there is love. Just remember there are a lot worse things out there than me.”

Angela raised her brow but it was worthless since Crowley was gone. So Crowley knew things. He wasn’t king of the crossroads for nothing. She had no doubt that he must have paid the council a visit and manipulated the situation to his advantage. He was persistent in getting what he wanted and that was her to cave. That and she knew it wasn’t going to happen when she requested it. Priorities of importance ended up ruling the day. That she couldn’t tell Dean or Sam. It would… “Damn you Crowley. Damn you.”


	9. Chapter 9

Dean sat across from the girl Elena at the local diner. After what happened the night before, it was almost a miracle that they weren’t run out of town by her father. He wouldn’t blame the guy since he was trying to protect his family. It wasn’t anything short of what he would do for Sam or Angela for that matter. You did what you had to in order to protect your family.

“You know Papa has nothing against you or your brother,” Elena said as she took a bite of the eggs she had ordered.

“That’s comforting. What about Angie?”

Elena shrugged her shoulders. She really didn’t know. Papa had been acting peculiar ever since they arrived. It must have been when Aunt Rosa talked to him. It must have been big but when she asked, she had been told to worry about her quinceañera and about saying hello to cousins that would be arriving today. “I don’t know. He never met her and I don’t blame you for keeping that from him. At least he knows she exists.”

“Is it because she’s a Chaser?”

“I don’t think so since Ernesto is one. Brand new for about three years.”

“Ernesto?”

“My older brother. Papa was ever alert and watching the both of us for signs. Funny thing is he and Mama are human, except Mama has this sixth sense thing and it’s not because she’s a mom,” Elena explained. She downed the cup of coffee she had requested.

That was interesting to Dean. Everything he read said that Chasers had to have at least one parent that was a vampire and one that was human. It was probably one of those exceptions to the rule things. Certainly Angela was one since she was the oldest Chasers on record. “So you have vampires in your family?”

Elena raised her brow. She sought Dean out to talk to him about what he and his brother were going to do about the spirits. The conversation took a turn towards her family but she supposed that was not a problem since their friend was like Ernesto. She replied, “Pretty much for about five hundred years. We’ve had humans and vampires within the ranks and the interesting thing is that we started out Italian but married into a Spanish family. Then again most people think all people of Latin descent look alike.”

Dean listened to the response. A thought occurred to him but it was countered that it could be a coincidence. “You have Italian? Angie is too. Doesn’t look like it but…”

“Yeah. Family legend says that an ancestress was born to an heiress who lost her husband in a murder. Story goes that she was pregnant at the time and she gave birth to a girl. What the history books say was murder of the father, the family story goes that he was turned into a vampire. Anyway kid turns out to be a human but falls in love with a vampire and there you go.” Elena made a waving motion with her hand. She knew the story and wasn’t really into revealing family secrets. “Look I asked you to breakfast because of what happened. I think I know why my friends are attacked and I think I’m on the list too.”

Dean drank his coffee. Normally Sam was the one to be handling the Q&A with people. He had the face that people trusted. The puppy look worked too. With Angela in the mix, that pair could have the toughest guy out there eating out of their hands. He found it a surprise that the girl wanted to talk to him. “Okay, but why me?”

Elena shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t sure how to say it without offending the brother. She replied, “Don’t take this the wrong way but I get the feeling that you’re brother doesn’t like me. I think it’s because I hit him and called him a pervert.”

 _More likely he thought Angie called him that before he realized you weren’t her._ Dean made a slight face, “Nah, Sammy will get over that. I think it’s because you look like Angie and it might have… He’ll get over it.”

“I get it. I guess it feels different when you think your girlfriend calls you names and hits you.”

“They’re not together. Sam just remembers another time when he thought someone was Angie and it turned out to be a pretty nasty double on a case we worked on or rather fell into. Someone decided that it would be fun to get to Angie through us. They sure learned their lesson. Angie hits hard when that happens.”

“Oh.” Elena said nothing else. She had noticed how Sam’s eyes wandered as if he was trying to make the comparison between her and Angela. She figured it was his way of making sure which one was which and she suspected it was because he liked Angela and much more than he probably could see. She suspected that was what Dean knew too and it was probably something they would have to work out. “Well anyway I think I’m next because I was born the year Maria Antonia died.”

“I get that you’re turning fifteen but you don’t seem the kind of girl that the spirit will be after.”

“Well I did some digging before you guys came along. People don’t like to talk about it but she was pregnant when she died. People didn’t know that she had a boyfriend.”

“How do you know this?”

“Her mom and Mama are friends and I happened to overhear a conversation about that. Rosita is the younger sister.” Elena paused to study Dean’s face. She couldn’t tell if he was thinking how that would help or if he was thinking something else. He had a good poker face.

Dean knew he was probably making Elena uncomfortable. Maybe if he did it enough she would be convinced to try for a normal life even if she had to keep a few family members a secret. She was lucky that she wasn’t like her brother. She was human. That aside he could see why she would think she was next since she was friends with the girls that had ruined parties and ghost attacks. Finally he said, “So you know the girls but it has to be something specific. You said the girl that died was pregnant and from what Angie filled us in, that is a serious thing. You don’t seem the kind of girl to be doing that.”

“Well I don’t have a boyfriend or anything like that but I know Lupe was in some sort of trouble and Rosita is the girl’s sister…”

“Then that shouldn’t be a problem for you. You didn’t do anything that would be considered bad for the fugly to go after. What about your friend Ana?”

“Ana was having boy trouble. He was trying to pressure her into that. I don’t think she was going to cave in unless she agreed to,” Elena replied. She frowned as she thought about it. It was a strange thing. Why would she and Ana be targeted? She began to play with her crucifix.

“Well I don’t know what to tell you but maybe Angie will find something.”

“I don’t think they will talk to her because she looks like me. They didn’t tell me much even though we were friends. I think that they didn’t quite trust me even though we grew up together. I’m the brain and goody two shoes,” Elena countered with a slight chuckle.

Dean took another sip of his coffee. “Don’t underestimate Angie. She’s pretty good with disguises and even if she doesn’t use one, people don’t tend to remember.”

“You seem confident of that.”

“She did that once when me and Sam were younger. Saved Sam’s ass from a spirit trying to strangle him.” Dean let that slip to make a point. He wasn’t going to mention all the times she had been around. That would make it sound like she was stalking them and that conjured images of a psycho. “She was in the neighborhood on a different case.”

“So she’s older than you?”

“Don’t broadcast it kid. She’s like any woman when you mention the age.” Dean gave the warning in a friendly tone. “So anything else you can think of about the spirit? What about the boyfriend? Any connection there?”

Elena knew that she shouldn’t push for more information. Dean was a hunter as well as his brother and friend. They would skip town if and when they took care of the spirit. She should just stick to the case and not ask any more about her double. “Well…”

****

It was quiet in the library and it was what Sam was looking for. He put his laptop down on the table in the middle of the room and flipped it open. It seemed to be a good time as any to be continuing his research into Angela’s double. He knew for certain that the Elena girl wasn’t like that thing in Lenya’s playground. He even considered the ridiculous idea of time travel but that was sheer impossibility unless you messed with something powerful like a god. Besides the people who owned the place really believed Elena to be their daughter so that was moot.

Actually Sam felt he was stuck at a crossroads with this one. He had read everything that came out of Angela’s duffle as well as what was on the shelves in his and Dean’s room and he wasn’t any closer to answers. The laptop was the last resort along with the books in the main library. The de la Vera’s said that they had more family coming today and that there would be a dinner and dance that evening. He took it to mean that they were welcome but it would be preferred that they stay out of the way. Sam would be okay with that but he wasn’t afraid of vamps… not after Gordy Walker.

“Ever the scholar but what happens when you can’t find what you are looking for?”

Sam looked up from the taunting image of the search engine on the laptop to see the girl’s mom. She stood in the doorway studying him with a rather stern expression. Sam thought she was going to scold him given that her hair was pulled back into a tight bun. “Uh… I was just…”

“It’s all right. You are a guest in this house and can go where you like.” Esperanza gave a slight smile as she walked in. In her hands was a tray with a pitcher of lemonade. A couple of her brother in laws had arrived with their families. She was on her way to give refreshments when she noticed Sam pouring over his computer.

“That wasn’t the impression I got from your husband.”

“Oh he’s the old married woman when it comes to protecting his family. We have had some problems from hunters who passed by previously,” Esperanza uttered the reply as she set the tray down and started pouring a glass. “None was as bad as that one hunter. He kept coming here insisting that there were vampires here. Diego would have taken a shotgun to him eventually.”

“Sounds like he was obsessed,” Sam replied politely as he changed the screen to something else. He didn’t realize that he had opened a file that he had never seen before until he saw the first image. It was the collection of pictures that he had looked through before they went to Louisiana and from the looks of it a few new ones were added. He recognized the one that was taken at the wedding before his fight.

Esperanza replied, “He was. Since then my husband has been convinced that all hunters were like Gordon Walker. I think the fact that you had a Halfling with you gave him enough pause.”

Sam heard the name and looked up. “Gordon Walker?”

“Yes. A very disturbed young man. A few years ago he came through Milagro on the trail of a suspected vampire. He said the vampire was a criminal wanted for murder.”

“So he sounded like a bounty hunter. How did you know he was a hunter?”

“When you live within the world of the supernatural you pick up on a few things and you learn to do it without arousing suspicion,” Esperanza replied with a slight smile. “It’s a hard life living with family secrets but family means everything to us. It took us all playing our best poker faces to convince Mr. Walker that we had no vampires. It helped that the children were in school of course. Eventually he left but I think he was always suspicious after that.”

“Gordy never could let go.”

“Sounds like you’ve met him.”

“Three times. He… tried to kill me twice,” Sam admitted. “He added Angie to his list when he found out about her.”

Esperanza looked at the young man who was looking at his laptop screen in a thoughtful manner. “I see you and your brother have a few secrets as well,” she thoughtfully allowed.

“She risked her well-being for me; something she does for both me and Dean. Sometimes I just wish she would let us do the same on occasion but I understand why.” Sam gazed at the pictures that were moving through the laptop. “It’s like the first time she let herself be accepted and not be suspicious of it in probably four centuries.”

“So she’s a vampire?”

“No.” Sam realized he was saying a little too much but he couldn’t help it. However he realized that he didn’t want to risk Angela’s well-being even if the family knew a thing or two about vampires. So he kept quiet.

Esperanza sensed the change and made a slight smile and went to the shelf. Even as little as he revealed, it confirmed that his companion was like her son. She also saw that the boy cared about her and his brother did too. She also had suspicions and earlier she spoke to Aunt Rosa. She pulled a book off the shelf and said, “Well I am sure that things have gotten better since then. They always do. That’s why we have been around for nearly five hundred years since our ancestress fell in love with a vampire.” She paused to look at the watch on her wrist and she said, “Oh my. They’re probably wondering where I’m at. Feel free to use whatever you want Sam and go wherever you like.”

Sam glanced over to watch Esperanza leave. He frowned since her last comment seemed a bit random. However it sparked a thought and he had heard of a theory when he was at Stanford. It was a biology/genetic thing but… He got up and started looking through the books and it was pure research heaven to find it arranged by category. He found one book that seemed out of place and was written in Italian and of 15th century variety but upon opening it, he could make out it was a lineage tree. Sam frowned over it and looked in the direction that Esperanza had left and wondered why she made that comment. Was it possible?

****

The world had changed and it was no longer the way how it should have been. People lost their sense of morality even in places that seemed to have preserved it. People had to be taught a lesson and it seemed that they didn’t learn it. Did they think that just because they were a picture of good living that they could get away with being immoral?

Fifteen years ago it happened and enough was enough. The little brat made a grave mistake and she had to be taught a lesson. That didn’t leave her accomplice free of blame. He refused to make things right. He got taught a lesson too. Then fifteen years later and nothing changed.

Ana Valle was the first. She was fairly good in her life. She went to mass every week with her parents. She had good grades in school and made the honor roll. She did have a respectable boy courting her but that was where the problems started. The boy started obeying the pressures of the world. He cheated on Ana while pressuring her to give in. She gave in. She was scared straight and the boy was dealt with.

Lupe took that step and was also in trouble. She tried to make it right and spoke to her boyfriend. Little preppie decided his career was more important. Chauvinistic males; typical male ego and always ignored but not this time. This time both sides are made responsible. Lupe got a scare and of course her shame will be brought to light. Well it already was. Preppie was getting a lesson too and it would show.

Public shame was always the best way to humiliate someone. People lived, eat and breathed on what others thought of them. It always hurt when reputation was ruined by certain means. Little preppie was going to get it bad.

Rosita was another disappointment. She was clever though. She knew how much appearances figured into things. She knew how to hide and it seemed that was what she had been doing all her life. Hiding under big sister’s shadow and she was forgiven for being an artist with gold. Both girls were artists with gold and the result was all four of them were connected. Rosita though admitted to a big and unforgiveable sin and they met in secret. They would show up separately at events but they would always find each other and go off in private.

It was considered against the will of God. It was considered a sin and yet more and more were showing their faces even ones who professed the faith as they claimed. Rosita was a disappointment in the eyes of God. She got a nice scare and a little blood spilt. It was a reminder of what her choices would lead her to. There was no place for them in the world but the world is a complicated place. It was indeed since the last was the epitome of good living but it came down to blood.

Elena de la Vera, the pride and joy of Diego and Esperanza de la Vera and the prettiest girl to have ever been born. She had lived a good life so far. It was the kind to have been deemed perfect and no blemishes. However there was one secret that was the kind of secret that would have brought **them** to the town if it had been told. She wasn’t the kind to go against her upbringing just to be like everyone else but she did have one thing against her and it could be damning.

The supposedly devout ones claimed that anything not human was evil and of the devil. Vampires especially were considered of the devil and probably it was correct to some degree but God created the light and the dark. Yes the vampire required blood and the first were the evil creatures of stories humans liked in those movies but in the end they learned how to coexist and lived well amongst the human. Of course there was the fact that there were the ones that became the ones that were made that resulted from the first vampires going full murder and seeking extra strength and the like.

Then there were the Halflings. They were an accident and created to serve as assassins. The other races caught on to that concept and produced their own Halflings. Little Elena was caught in that sphere. Vampires dotted her family tree and there were Halflings that were rampart. Elena was not one to be messed with. It wasn’t her fault and God understood. She would not be harmed except for one thing.

Elena had a routine. She got up early to get to school. Sometimes she got breakfast at the diner. This time though she had a companion. She was there first and then her companion came in. One glance and it could be told that he was and older man, late twenties. He went in and sat with her and they had breakfast.

Of course it could have been an innocent meeting. Elena was serious when she spoke to him and he was equally serious. The guy was a hunter. She was probably trying to ward him off. The de la Vera family worked tirelessly to ward off hunters. There were a many good hunters out there and certainly they wouldn’t have bothered if they were aware of the history of the vampire. Even if they weren’t they weren’t too jaded and they wouldn’t be stupid to go against one of the more influential families of Milagro. It was the good hunters that were bad that needed a serious warding off and the family went overtime with it.

That type of hunter wanted one thing and one thing only and that was to eradicate anything that wasn’t human. It didn’t matter if they didn’t do anything. The last hunter like that who came through had been trouble. He pestered the family insisting that they had a vampire problem. Diego held them off and in the end the hunter left but he came back.

He was run off eventually but the damage had been done. Now Elena was doing her parents’ work of keeping hunters away. This one though was her undoing. When they left the diner, Elena asked the hunter something. He must have said something that pleased her and she grabbed the hunter and kissed him. Instead of stopping her, damned hunter smiled at her and gave a slight hug and she allowed it. What was worse was that she grabbed the hunter by the elbow and they went to this hideous black car got in a drove in the direction of Elena’s school. Now Elena needed to be taught a lesson.

Now it was the middle of the day and school was still in session. Yet Elena was walking around outside. She wouldn’t cut classes unless she was trading favors for the hunter to go away. That was a sin. It couldn’t be allowed yet there she was walking down the street. She thought that sunglasses could hide her face.

Maybe there was a way to get to her before she made a mistake. Elena needed to be given a chance. A warning would be most fitting. Then if she decided to go through her sin then there was no choice left. Then the lesson would have to be taught. She wouldn’t resist though since she would know what was coming after her. She had been born into it.

There she was going into the diner. There was no one else going in and sitting with her. Maybe she was cutting classes for the day out of a fit of being daring. It wasn’t that bad a thing to do. Even the good kids needed a break. Also she probably was thinking about what happened the past few days and she couldn’t concentrate on the books. She wasn’t shallow to be thinking about her upcoming birthday. If anything the family would reduce the guest list considerably. That wouldn’t be so bad.

She hadn’t moved from her seat and was looking at the menu. She had a notebook out and was reading it. Maybe she was studying but needed a change of scene. That wasn’t bad either since she was still being the good scholar. The only thing that was on the table at the moment was a cup of coffee and she drunk it periodically.

Suddenly that hunter came in. She seemed happy to see him and gave him a smile and a too friendly gesture. Something must have happened somewhere between the diner and school. That was a too familiar gesture, like they knew each other. That was strange and yet infuriating. The hunter should know better. Looks like he needed to be taught a lesson too.

He didn’t stay too ling though. He took a scrap of paper and gave Elena a dopey smile and leave. There was still a chance for intervention. It was time to go into the diner and bring an intervention and try to save her before it was too late. She was just sitting there at the table and studying the notepad. Time to say something but maybe she wouldn’t remember. It was better to say something that sounded casual and friendly. “You seem new to town.”

“I am.”


	10. Chapter 10

Angela decided to get an early start and the best thing to do would be to start with the girls who had been attacked. Though they had some idea what was going on, she wanted to be thorough. Besides it didn’t help that she had a nagging feeling at the back of her head. It told her that there was something more to this. It was the same feeling she had in Massachusetts and it made her uneasy.

Years of experience taught her to trust her instincts and it worked out pretty good for her in the beginning and in the long run. Yet when Dean and Sam questioned her when she said the case was far from over when the hexing broad turned up dead, it made her wonder a few things. Maybe she didn’t make a few things clear when she made her assertions. There was also the ugly little thought that they didn’t trust her and she immediately pushed that aside. They trusted her with their lives and knew that she would ask their opinions and they would do the same. It was just a difficult and trying time especially with Crowley trying to make her break.

Ruby coming to her rescue was unexpected and while maybe welcome at the time, it was considered an annoyance. Ruby knew the score with their history and they didn’t trust each other with a ten foot pole. It was really counterproductive but considering that she let the hell bitch within three feet of her boys… that was a moot point. She didn’t like Ruby and didn’t have a reason to trust her but she let her in because if there was one thing that she relied on it was the old adage of keeping your friends close but your enemies closer. So she watched Ruby and would work with her but she didn’t trust the sincerity. She could only hope that the boys would see that even if she wasn’t big on showing things.

So now she was paying a visit to the Valle family. It was hard going with the disguise but it was necessary since she did look too much like Elena except she was darker and she had a few more scars in places that were not easily seen but were like a bad memory. Yet she was a master at it and there was a lot people missed when you added a few things like a pair of eye glasses and changed your accent a little. Plus there was the fact that in the light of tragedy and scary events, the people you talk to didn’t pay much attention to the face.

Sitting in the sitting room, she crossed her legs out of habit and because it produced a decent stabilizing surface to put her notebook on. She was surprised that the Valle family allowed her to talk to them and especially Ana in the first place considering that the circumstances were most unusual. She looked at Ana and asked, “So you were in the middle of dancing when the lights started to flicker?” _God I sound like an investigative reporter. Too many years on the job._

Ana looked at the woman seated across from her and came to the conclusion that she may know something but wanted to hear her say it. It was like that thing in the journalism club at school and how to ask questions and take notes. Then again maybe cops learned the same thing. She replied, “Well no one noticed at first until the wind began to pick up. Then the lights started flickering.”

“Was it a power thing? Did the power go out?”

“No. Papa is always meticulous with things around the house. He makes sure that nothing is broken or anything like that.”

Angela made note of it. She figured a ghost presence did that and the girl had no reason to lie. “What happened next?”

“Well the lights flickered and the wind picked up. There was some crashing as things fell over and at one point a girl in a white dress appeared. There was blood on it but she looked dirty and grey. She said mi amor and disappeared. Then something swooped towards me.”

Angela perked up. This was new. The ghost disappeared but that was hardly unusual. They sometimes did that when they were going to attack. More questions had to be asked. “Was it the girl in the dress?”

Ana looked at the woman and with a curious frown. She seemed really interested in knowing what happened. Ana had gotten a good look at the thing that attacked Papa and he still had scarring from that. The doctors said he had been lucky that he didn’t suffer too much blood loss otherwise he would have died. She was grateful for that. Still it seemed that this ‘detective’ knew a few things. Was she following a serial killer or something like that? Here in Milagro? That seemed about as farfetched as it got. Still there didn’t seem to be any harm in talking about it. The worst that could happen was public ridicule. She replied, “No. It was a man and dressed in black. He looked like he was crazy or something.”

“So someone else crashed the party?”

“Yeah.”

Angela studied the girl. She knew that with the glasses on she looked more of a nerd than a cop but it was working. The girl kept looking at her but more for reassurances that she believed her so her cover was safe for the moment. Right now it seemed that Ana saw both spirits but she was going to ask the questions anyway. “Can you describe him?”

“Aside from looking crazy, he had this wild look in his eyes. Like he was a predator or something. They were focused on me and they seemed to be ringed with red.”

Angela had been making notes of the description. At the last part, her attention was caught up and she repeated, “Ringed with red?”

Ana looked and saw the serious expression on the woman’s face. She must believe her or something and maybe what she said sounded familiar to her. She replied, “Yeah. The eyes were ringed with red. The teeth though were unusually sharp and pointy.”

“All of them?”

“Yeah.”

Angela thought about it for a moment. Something didn’t seem quite right here and she needed a moment to think it out. However she needed the girl to finish her story so that things were made clear. She asked, “And that was when your father jumped in front of you?”

“He pushed me out of the way and they collided. There was a lot of blood everywhere. Papa was really lucky.”

Angela scribbled in her notebook. She had her suspicions now and it seemed that she was in the middle of a mystery or sorts. There was little time left until tonight for the family dinner that they were invited to and then there was the actual quinceañera that would be held the next night on the fifteenth of the month. That seemed ominous in of itself and that was delving too deeply into numerology and other things.

Right now she had something that wasn’t a ghost that was behind the attacks and the appearance of the spirit cast a thought that had her wondering if she was meant to sniff out the feats of injustice that existed… or hunt down crazies that got away with things. She said, “He probably was.”

It was a flub on that since she hadn’t seen any medical reports and the like. She wanted to see it but it was a matter of bringing it up without causing uproar. She asked, “Will he permit me to look at it or…?”

“Maybe he might,” Ana replied. She slid off the couch to look for her father. That was a first since the doctors took a picture of the… whatever it was.

Angela didn’t have long to wait since it seemed that the man of the house had been waiting for that particular question. He came out following his daughter and asked, “So you want to see what the bastard tried to do to my Ana?”

Angela stood up to greet the man and replied, “Interesting how you say that it was meant for Ana.”

“He was heading towards her. Crazy bastard. Un diablo.” Ricardo spoke firmly still angry that someone tried to hurt his Ana and it looked like he might have done the same to Rosita and Lupe. That though had to be answered at a different time.

Angela took in the response and agreed, “Understandable. It was an interesting choice of words Señor. I was curious if I could be permitted to see what the guy tried to do to Ana. It might help.” She gave a slight smile that was designed to convey reassurance. Whether or not he bought it was another story but it had worked before so…

Ricardo looked at the woman who had come to his house. She had introduced herself as a federal agent. At first he had no idea why the federales were interested in what happened but then again they were after people that worked in a pattern or profile. Yet there was something about her that was reassuring; that she understood and knew things that couldn’t really be explained. He replied, “Alright. If it will help your investigation.”

“It will.”

Ricardo nodded and motioned for Angela to follow him into a side room. There was no need for Ana to see this even if she was considered old enough. He motioned for his daughter to stay put. Once they were in the room, he undid the top buttons of his shirt to reveal the huge gash. He looked away while the federale did her inspection.

Angela knew that it was a modesty thing. She understood that completely. Taking advantage that Ricardo Valle’s head was turned, she examined the gouge. She could make out the familiar distinct marks. She made a slight face and shook her head. She had some idea now what they were up against but she just couldn’t figure out why now and the connection between the girl Maria Antonia showing up unless… She had to check in on the other girls. What happened to them would confirm her suspicions and that would mean a fairly good hunt but it could spell trouble. The rabid kind were much more dangerous than the normal kind.

Looking up at Ricardo, she pulled his shirt into place and said, “Thank you Señor. That will be all.” She turned away to give the man a means of privacy as he adjusted his shirt. Her thoughts went on to what she had collected in information and tried to piece things together. At that moment though her stomach gurgled indicating that she needed to feed herself and she gave a slight face. Luckily no one could hear that.

She went to where Ana was waiting and said out loud, “Señor Valle, I thank you for your hospitality and your cooperation. Your information will help my investigation greatly.”

“I hope it helps,” Ana said as she escorted Angela to the door.

“It will,” Angela replied. Once they were out at the door she turned to whisper, “Is there anything else? Something that would have triggered the guy to act that way? Trouble on a… personal level?”

Ana was surprised at the extra questions. She didn’t even know how that was relevant to the investigation. Still she couldn’t help but reply, “Nothing. I mean my boyfriend was trying to pressure me into… you know what and I almost gave in. It’s a sin to do that.”

Angela frowned slightly in thought. There was something to go on there. She looked at the girl Ana and nodded, “Thank you. That helps.” She turned and started walking towards the truck she borrowed from the de la Vera family.

Ana frowned as she watched the woman walk towards her vehicle. That was the most unusual conversation that she had ever been a part of. What did her having boy troubles have to do with anything? She lingered at the door until her father came and asked, “Are you trying to let in the desert heat querida?”

Ana smiled, “No Papa.”

Ricardo looked out the door at the truck driving away. “That one was a strange one but she knew what to ask and how to ask. The federales seem to have recruited exceptional agents.”

Ana closed the door as they walked in. The woman was strange but Ana found that she rather liked her. She didn’t understand her but she rather liked her. She replied, “I think they have Papa. I think she will figure out what happened and catch the man who did that to you. She did seem familiar though, like her face was familiar.”

“I was under that impression too,” Ricardo replied. “It doesn’t matter though. I hope you are up to going to the dinner and see your godfather’s family again?”

Ana smiled at the prospect of meeting the out of town family of the de la Vera family. She loved her godfather and she was best friends with Elena. However she was under the impression that Elena was hiding something but loved her all the same. Dinners were always fun. She replied, “Yes Papa. Thank you for calling the school to let me stay out.”

Ricardo smiled at his daughter and gave her a hug. There were still chores to do at the ranch. However he too was glad to speak to his compadre again. The day was now a happy one and hopefully into a happy evening.

****

The diner was the best place to get a meal and beggars couldn’t be choosers even if there was a substantial bankroll won by a six hundred dollar bet on three to one odds. Living on the road taught one to be frugal. Besides with the selection the menu offered… Angela was just glad to get something into her stomach. She couldn’t even remember the last time she consciously ate something. It looked like Sam would be pestering her about her health again.

She took a sip of her coffee and studied her notes. With what Ana and Ricardo Valle supplied her, she had a pretty good idea what they were up against. However she wanted to talk to the other girls. It was going to be tricky since they were minors and they were still in the hospital. She called and they staff said that they would be released that evening. She could drop in after lunch and have a chat or ask the nursing staff. She chuckled at the prospect.

Dean said that nurses were the meanest thing to ever exist. He insisted that they were some sort of supernatural creatures. Of course that theory was bogus since he had a penchant for flirting with the pretty nurses. Angela had a private laugh since at one point he flirted with her and she was in a nurse’s uniform at the time. It was one of those times before she officially and formally met the boys. She had a lot of stories that weren’t in the journal that Sam had read. Those were in a separate journal; a spur of the moment thing she decided that the boys needed their own journal during their growing up years until they were introduced.

She still had it and at this point it was full. The scrapes those boys got into. If only Dean knew and he would have insisted that she get a medal for it. She had started writing in the one Sam had read again which had entries beginning from their first case all the way up till now. It was probably an erratic thing but the boys’ growing up years were like a secret she aimed to hold onto. She did write her adventures with John in her current one and mentioned the boys. Story of her life; all from different views and for different reasons.

Angela smiled a bit as she finished the last bite and took a sip of the coffee. The coffee wasn’t that bad. She shoved her plate aside and continued to study her notes even though they hadn’t changed within the last twenty or so minutes. It was force of habit or something but she could do that for days and forget about eating if she really got into a case.

She heard the diner door open and then a familiar voice call out, “So you’re actually taking a break for once Angie? I better tell Sam.”

Angela turned to see Dean standing over her and smiling big. She teased, “You can tell my silly watchdog that. What are you doing here my little bull dog?”

Dean tried to pout but it was marred by the grin that showed. He knew Sam had become a watchdog with her lately. Not that he blamed the kid since she did nearly drown not too long ago but then again that started way back in Darby after he rescued her. He sat across from Angela and asked for a cup of coffee and replied, “You gonna keep calling me that?”

“Well you are a bull dog Dean. Bite something and you never let go,” Angela replied. “Seriously though, I thought you and Sam were doing more research.”

“Elena girl asked me to breakfast. Funny thing is she thinks Sam doesn’t like her.”

“Dean,” Angela interrupted. If she had let him go off on the tangent they would never have gotten to the real answer. She figured Sam was uncomfortable being around the girl and maybe he said a few things meant for her ears and regretted it. That was something she would have to talk about eventually.

“Right,” Dean paused and got back on track, “Anyway she asked me to breakfast and began telling me a few things about her friends. Apparently they all had some kind of trouble. Ana had boy trouble, Lupe was um… knocked up and Rosita was the dead girl’s sister.”

Angela listened to Dean’s report. That was interesting. Of course she knew about Ana since she had been at the Valle place. Now she more curious than ever to verify a few things about their case. She replied, “I figured on Ana since I was just there but the other two were most interesting. Rosita I can’t see a connection except through blood but the two girls were attacked from what seems to be a violation of the rules of morality for young ladies.”

“Doesn’t make much sense to me but then again you know more about this than I do,” Dean replied.

“Well remember when I said that quinceañeras mark the rite of passage? Well with that come with certain rules as to how young ladies are supposed to act. One of the big things is something you wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about and that is sex before marriage,” Angela explained. “Unfortunately it is part of the old way and that is full of bloody double standards.”

“So you’re saying things like having sex and getting knocked up are bad at least for girls who believe in this?”

“More or less,” Angela replied. She glanced down at her notes and tapped the pad with her pen while her head rested her on her hand.

“So the spirit could be a warning, like a death omen.”

Angela didn’t reply at first. She was listening to Dean’s assertion and her mind began turning the wheels. That would make much more sense with everything. If that were the case then the spirit knew who her attacker was and was trying to seek justice. “Maybe that’s right.”

“What’s right?”

“I think the spirit may be a death omen.”

“Okay so then the dead boyfriend is doing the attacks,” Dean replied trying to narrow the suspects.

“Not exactly,” Angela replied. She could see confusion forming on Dean’s face and made to explain, “I think you are right in that the spirit may be a death omen… sort of like Mad Eye Garrison at Ellis, though I think that was more of an echo. Anyway I don’t think we are looking for a spirit at all.”

“What else is there?”

“A vampire.”

Dean liked it when things were laid out straight in front of him and he could see the connections. How Angela came to the conclusion that it was a vampire was beyond him unless she got something from the Valle family. He asked, “Are you serious?”

Angela glanced to make sure that no one was eavesdropping. She leaned forward and replied, “Sure of it. Valle’s neck had bite marks and the girl described the teeth accurately. The second set protruding from the gums.”

“So one of those kind. Dammit but why?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. The girl described him as looking crazy but the eyes got me Dean. She said that they were red rimmed. I’ve never seen anything like it before but I have heard stories…”

“One of those things that you would eventually teach me and Sam about? Like you?” Dean studied Angela as she stared off into space to think. It was like she was wracking her brains for a memory or some sort of piece of information she may have tucked away. She was like a walking encyclopedia when it came to the supernatural though she would admit if she didn’t know something about anything. He figured though she would at least know just about everything there was to know about vamps since she was half one herself.

“Something like that but I don’t know. Do you think you can look that up? It might be worth something though if it is a vamp the usual methods would kill it.”

Dean downed the last of his coffee and stood up to go, “But you want to make sure it is what it is. Gotcha Angie. I’ll make Sam do it.”

“I asked you Dean,” Angela looked up with the look that she knew Dean would cave in to. “Do I have to play the little sister card?”

Dean couldn’t help but laugh at that. Even if she was new to how she felt about him and Sam, she adapted well. He took the time to figure out that the running away had nothing to do with the fact that she thought that she failed him. Hell no, it had to do with the fact that she was afraid of hurting Sam. He was certain she was getting closer to figuring that out and it looked like he was going to win that bet with Bobby. He replied, “I see you slipped into the little sister role nicely Angie.”

“Well a little bulldog kept playing the big brother card,” Angela replied as she gave Dean a slight hug. “Just find out. I asked because I know you did some research on your own time about me and my kind and you probably came across this. Consider it one less thing for Sam to worry about since he is still obsessing over my double.”

“You can’t protect him forever you know,” Dean replied, aware that he was repeating the same thing Sam said to him.

“Not trying to. I know he’s confused about the double that probably reminds him of when we all were kid sized. I did mention the whole council thing to him but…” Angela studied the look on Dean’s face unaware that he was marveling at her powers of perception and thinking that he was unsure if she was telling the truth or not. God knew that she gave a part of the truth to them at times and old habits were hard to break. “I’ll talk to him about it.”

“Do what you have to do Angie. I’ll investigate this vamp thing,” Dean replied. “You doing anything else?”

“Just checking up on the girls. If I am right then we are dealing with someone who probably has been protected by the de la Vera influence. Once that’s done… I’ll see you back at the ranch. Don’t forget to feed Setna.”

Dean muttered something about the fur ball as he left the diner. She seemed to be better about the whole deal thing but he got the sneaking suspicion that she was up to something. Maybe it wasn’t clear in her mind yet but it was there.

Angela turned back to her coffee and notes. She didn’t notice a new person that had entered when Dean had left. She didn’t notice much and to be honest her guard was down so her ‘super sniffer’ (Dean’s term mind you) wasn’t on the alert. She only looked up when she heard a gentle voice say, “You seem new in town.”

Her first response was, “I am.”


	11. Chapter 11

Sam studied the books one more time. It felt like the Trickster was playing a mean trick on him but even he knew that wasn’t it. And it wasn’t like she knew anything. She just never saw a need to and it wasn’t like she would keep that from them. The thing was it was all a theory and a pile of coincidences. He didn’t have the proof unless he actively sought it and…

“Still hitting the books Sammy? Did you always study this much at college?”

Sam looked up from what he was reading to see his brother come in the library. The pitcher of lemonade was half gone. He had taken to drinking it since it became evident that Esperanza left it for him and it did fill in the hours and he avoided the de la Vera clan for now though he was certain that they could probably smell him. From them that was creepy but from Angela, not so and it was a weird thought but just one more thing of hers that belonged to him and Dean.

Knowing that his brother expected some sort of response, he gave it, “Just trying to solve a puzzle Dean.”

“Yeah and I know it has nothing to do with the case,” Dean replied. He noticed the lemonade and a spare glass. He poured himself one saying, “Cool lemonade. Instead she has me doing your job.” Well it wasn’t exactly the truth but it seemed like a good idea to get under his brother’s skin.

“We do it together Dean,” Sam let out as he flipped the page and continued to read while making notes. He was unaware that he had provided a means for his brother to give a few innuendos and jokes.

“Didn’t think you to be of a threesome mind Sammy.”

Realizing what the comment implied Sam broke his concentration and looked up at the grin Dean was giving him, “Shut up jerk. You know it isn’t like that.”

“Calm down Sammy. Look I know that you’re not doing anything relating to the case and even Angie knows that. She doesn’t mind and she’s curious too. She’s just busy with what we missed,” Dean replied trying to placate the angry look Sam was giving him. Damn the kid had it bad and it was no wonder she called Sam a silly watchdog and in that affectionate way of hers. He had no doubt one or both would be coming to a breaking point and he would die a happy man just to see that. It would make things easier for when he had to go.

It worked since Sam calmed down. He never got this riled up with Dean’s teasing but all the stuff that Dean implied and turning whatever he said into an innuendo… That was just… wrong. Getting his mind back to the conversation, he replied, “Well I know she wanted to talk to the girls and she said it was better she did it. Female thing.”

“That and she could probably coax more out girls with her version of the puppy eyes.”

“She doesn’t do that Dean.”

 _How blind are you Sam?_ Dean realized that for his brother’s brains, he really was a dumb smart person. _Nice going Dean, you just made an oxymoron._ Dean could hear her say it but his own mind was screaming pride at him. He replied, “Seriously Sam? I’ve seen her charm the pants off a butch biker in a bar when she hustled a free drink and got him to play a game of stick with us.”

“Don’t remind me of that,” Sam replied and he felt his fingers tighten slightly on the pencil he was using. He remembered and it was Dean who dared her stating that she couldn’t get the guy to play stick and he had to say anything goes. “So what did you do?”

“Well Elena asked to talk to me and gave me the rundown of the girls that were having birthdays and when I talked to Angie at the diner, she put the thing together. She’s going to talk to the last two girls just to make sure before giving her theory.” Dean watched his brother’s reaction and knew that Sam was remembering that night. It was one of those nights where Angela actually stopped stating that she was hungry and picked a bar of all places. She actually was in a good mood that night even though she was still sore over Ruby and actually agreed to Dean’s dare. Dean was certain that she wasn’t trying to annoy Sam; she didn’t do the coy crap. She did it because she wanted to and he suspected it was a distraction.

Sam gave a slight shrug and replied, “Okay.” His gaze drifted downward to his notes as he calmed down. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing much. I just need to borrow your laptop there.”

“Use your own,” Sam replied with a slight frown. “You always freeze mine.”

“Yours is the only one that has those databases bookmarked,” Dean pointed out. “Besides you’re not using it now. You’re reading some old musty book that probably smells like one of Bobby’s closets.”

“Bad visual Dean,” Sam grimaced as he slid the laptop towards his brother. Dean was right. He wasn’t using it for anything. “Fine, just use the search engines please. What are you looking for anyway?”

“Stuff Angie suggested,” Dean replied as he automatically entered in the familiar keywords. At the look Sam was giving him he added, “I got this Sammy. I know a thing or two about search engines. It’s like Angie said. I’m lazy about it.”

Sam made a slight humming noise as he took a sip of his lemonade. There was a slight noise and the sound of chatter filling the house. Dean perked up a bit and commented, “Looks like the family just walked in.”

“Maybe Angie should be here,” Sam replied looking at his notes. The more he looked at them, the more convinced he was of his theory.

“Why? So they freak out that there is a look alike of their little princess Elena? Are you nuts Sam trying to get Angie into trouble?”

“Not if someone explained she’s family.”

Dean had been met with a few surprises in his lifetime. This was one of those that could effectively knock all capabilities of speech or any other coherent function out the window. Sam rarely gave him one of those. “You wanna run that by me again?”

Sam realized what he said and knew that there was no backing out now. He put his pencil down and looked at his brother and was reminded him of the times Dean would quiz him about having the essentials during the school day. He was the only kid in school to carry a knife and it was a wonder he hadn’t been expelled for carrying a weapon. He knew when Dean had that look, he was being serious. He replied, “Just a theory but I think Angie is related to the de la Vera family.”

The second time Sam mentioned it made it seem not so crazy but it was still as ridiculous as Sam being as telling of his conquests as Dean was. Still it was a strange thing. Dean knew though that it wasn’t worth the effort to blow up at Sam so taking it calmly he replied, “Okay and how did you come to that? You know Angie has no one except us.”

“Maybe none that she would know about,” Sam replied, “Just hear me out Dean.” He didn’t want to beg and he knew he sounded like he was.

“Lay it out Sam. What makes you think that these people are related to Angie and don’t go saying just because their vamps cause you know even that won’t fly with her,” Dean replied. He had managed to pull up what Angela requested and had it ready to go after Sam presented his idea.

Sam now realized why Angela liked to wait until she was sure. What most saw as hesitancy and cowardice he now saw it was, not cautiousness but smart and logical. He had only bare bones and all he had to support was what he observed and his biggest card was the reason Elena and Angela looked alike though that could easily be pointed to coincidence. He slowly began, “Well I was reading up on doppelgangers. I just had to be sure because you know and there were two things about doppelgangers. One is the one created like the one we…”

“I get it Sam and the other?”

“The other is that theory that everyone in the world has a duplicate out there.”

“You know that is really a load of crap right?”

“I know which is why there is one other possibility,” Sam replied. He swallowed slightly and added, “Genetic resemblance.”

“Sam you know I was joking about Angie having a kid back in the distant past right?” Dean heard Sam but it was something that needed sufficient time to process. He covered by the slight joke.

Sam knew that it was a lot to process. He checked to make sure that no one was eavesdropping before saying, “Think about it Dean. The family history speaks of an ancestress who was born to a human woman and a vampire. She was lucky and remained human but she fell in love with a vampire and it goes from there.”

Dean frowned. He remembered something, “Did your books say something about the girl being Italian and marrying into a Spanish family?”

“Yeah both of noble families.”

“Which ones?”

Sam frowned at the urgency in Dean’s voice. It indicated that he may know something and maybe he was buying the idea that Angela had a family that she didn’t know about. He looked at his notes and replied, “Uh, one is the de la Vera family and the other is surprisingly the Medici family.”

Dean felt his world shift. He knew that Angela was a part of the Medici family on her mother’s side. She admitted that when she revealed the source of her money. He never told Sam about it and really didn’t think about it. Since she never made a big deal about it and preferred to pretend that it didn’t exist, he went with it. “Elena mentioned that the ancestress was from an Italian family… are you sure about this Sam?”

“Just a thought. Dean, did Angie mention something about her family?”

 _Gotta hand it to Sammy for picking up on the little things._ Dean sighed and replied, “Angie may have told me when she mentioned where her money came from.” He saw the look Sam was giving him and was quick to say, “Don’t give me that look. She didn’t see it as a big deal so I rolled with it.”

“And you didn’t bother to tell me?”

“What difference does it make Sam? For the most part you know she doesn’t acknowledge its existence.”

“You should have told me. She should have told me.” Sam uttered the last part quietly. He knew that there were things she would only share with Dean but she did write them both in that will which she never took back naming astronomical amounts in bank accounts.

“I’m sorry Sam. I was just following her lead and just never occurred to me.” Dean shrugged his shoulders. He looked at the page he clicked on and read it. Right now Sam needed to think a little. He needed to think too. Sam’s proposal that the family they were staying with may be related to Angela was something that needed to be absorbed.

Sam knew Dean was sorry and he could kind of get why. It just hurt and surprisingly a lot. He knew that she wouldn’t deliberately hurt him or Dean. He could see that it wasn’t a big deal to her and he figured out long ago that she preferred to not make a big deal out of it especially when she gave it away like candy. He remembered that kid A.J. and his car the Shelby. She paid to have it fixed and she justified it by saying she wrecked it. Besides she did tell him more important things; important things to her.

“It’s okay Dean. So what do you think about…?”

“Lot of holes buddy. Anything else?” Dean glanced at Sam and was pleased that he wasn’t brooding. He looked back at the page and he read the entry. He kept in mind the description that Angela gave him about their supposed fugly. His eye caught the description of red rimmed eyes in the article that talked about the Fallen. Apparently it was a symptom of becoming a Fallen and they were not necessarily restricted to Chasers. Vampires that were born could become them too. Great and they just had a birthday slump with Angela.

“Maybe Aunt Rosa will give the whole story.”

Dean realized Sam was saying something to him. He looked up and asked, “What?”

“Aunt Rosa. She could answer a few things and we could avoid the rest of the family for a while,” Sam replied.

Dean thought about it for a moment. “Let’s go.”

****

“I was wondering when you two would come in asking questions.”

Sam frowned speechless. As far as he knew, no one knew about his research project. Dean on the other hand wasn’t surprised. He figured the old bat knew things and she was just being like the old biddy in Louisiana. He replied, “How long were you betting on it? Since you got a good look at Angie?”

“Dean,” Sam hissed. He didn’t want to antagonize the old lady. From his understanding the older the vampire, the more… deadlier they were. He heard a few stories from Angela on one of their rare nights of freedom.

“Shut up Sam. I noticed that the old bat here was looking at Angie like she knew her and I’m not talking about the fact she looks like Elena,” Dean replied looking at Sam with that look when he wanted answers.

“That doesn’t mean you insult her,” Sam replied.

“It’s all right young man,” Rosa interrupted. She was rather amused at how different and how similar the brothers were. It was how they utilized their talents. “I am used to it and prefer it. You don’t know how many times the various youngsters call me old biddy or old bat or a bunch of other names. I prefer the old lady who talks too much.” She then gave a deep chuckle.

Sam made a slight motion with his eyebrows at Dean. He then said, “Uh we wanted to ask…”

“Be always alert or is it ignorant? I could never remember. Speak up young man. These ears are old you know,” Rosa interrupted, teasing Sam. She noticed that Dean had faltered a little as well. She could have fun with these two.

Dean was the first to recover, “We wanted to know more about your family, about the ancestress from the Medici family. We know she was human…”

Rosa smiled. She wondered when they would get around to asking about that. She figured it out the day she met their friend and she had hoped that particular story was true. She had heard the stories of the woman called Absolution and read the descriptions but she had dared to hope and now she was certain. She replied, “Yes the she was. What is it specifically you wish to know?”

“No fooling around,” Dean replied, “Did she have a sister?”

“You must have read the lineage,” Rosa directed her question at Sam.

“I did,” Sam replied. He glanced at Dean for some sort of reassurance. “There was a question mark on the family tree but no name.”

“Such as how the story is told,” Rosa replied. She really liked teasing the boys and playing the preachy old woman. She continued, “An old family story tells that there was an older sibling who disappeared at her thirteenth year with the father. No trace was ever found.”

Sam leaned in and whispered, “Angie got her powers at thirteen. She did say as soon as she got her powers she left with her father.”

“Coincidence Sam,” Dean whispered back.

“Fate or coincidence, I could never tell. Your friend is of Medici descent am I right?” Rosa studied the boys. They were hunters through and through. They studied things about the world she had lived in all her life.

“Something like that,” Dean admitted.

“Then there is your answer.”

Sam found his voice. He replied, “But that doesn’t mean anything. It could be that they are distant cousins or something like that.”

“You are right to question young man,” Rosa replied with a nod. “However to bear such a close resemblance to my Elena. That surely means a closer relation.”

“Maybe so or you could just be messing with us,” Dean replied. He realized the old bat was playing with them. It surprisingly didn’t annoy him too much since he got the feeling she was going to tell them anyway. “We’ve encountered a doppelganger before.”

“That I am certain. Otherwise your brother wouldn’t have been looking through all the books about them. Nasty things they are and usually require the memory that the creator has of the person though it usually works with some blood. Am I right Sam?”

“Uh yes,” Sam replied. He wondered how the conversation took this turn. They were here to ask questions about the family and now they were talking about his research. It then occurred to him that the old lady vampire knew exactly what they had been up to. Maybe she had hearing that was like Angela’s and that it was like, as Dean put it, a bat’s hearing. “Um can you please tell us more about your family?”

Rosa noted the confused look. She had her fun with them. She could tell they were good people and for hunters that was pretty big in the eyes of the family. The boys had yet to meet all of them but she could vouch for them and that carried weight. She replied, “If you want the truth, there is a story that is never told because the person involved was presumed dead.”

Sam gave a slight motion with his hand on his brother’s arm. Some of this was pretty familiar and it may go to shrinking the pile of coincidences down. He said, “Can you tell us?”

“Callista did have an older sibling,” Rosa replied as she sipped the tea she had been drinking. It was a nice diversion from the daily blood. “The story goes that she was a beauty that was considered a prize for any man but the main thing that kept men away was her willful spirit. At age thirteen she disappeared from her home. Many thought that she was sent away to marry some noble but in the oldest family annuals that actually disappeared a hundred or so years afterward it stated that she left with her father to learn about what she was.”

Sam listened to the old lady. So far it sort of sounded like what he had heard from Angela. It seemed that he and Dean stumbled on something that could be a good thing for her. She gave a lot to them so maybe they could give something back. It all depended on how the rest of the story went so he bent to listen to the rest of the story.

“She left to train and learn about the unique qualities of being a Halfling. About a few years afterwards, the father returned to his wife. There was another daughter who stayed with the mother. She went on to head a line rich in vampire and human blood. Of her elder sibling, no one knew what happened. Rumors stated that she died but there were quite a few that didn’t think so.”

“And you think Angie is that older sibling?” Dean asked the question, not sure if he had been handed a gift or a curse.

“That I have no doubt. She had the Medici traits if you take a look at the paintings in the hall. That and later a soothsayer or rather a gypsy gave a fortune that the elder sibling would return in a place of miracles,” Rosa finished.

“I can buy the looks maybe and given that your niece looks like how she would have at thirteen,” Dean replied, letting it slip that he had seen her that young.

“Dean, the word milagro is Spanish for miracle,” Sam supplied quietly. He then directed his attention to the old lady. He was curious about something. “Do you happen to know what the sibling’s name is?”

Rosa scrutinized Sam for a moment before replying, “No.”

Dean had enough and motioned for Sam to follow. He heard the stories and Sam had his research. It looked like that they stumbled onto Angela’s long lost family. Right now there was the decision to whether or not tell her. He was out the door and heading towards their room.

Sam left last. He was stopped when he heard the old lady say, “Catalina.” He looked at her and she didn’t say anything more. He realized that he was given the name Angela had been born with. Why she wouldn’t say it in front of both of them, it was a strange thing.

Dean was waiting for Sam in their room and Dean said, “Well you were right Sam. Looks like Angie has a genetic resemblance in Elena.”

Sam made a slight face at Dean’s choice of words, “Dean she has a family.”

“Yeah Sam and one that she doesn’t know about,” Dean pointed out. He turned inward to think about the information that they had.

“We should tell her.”

“And what good will that do?”

Sam shrugged his shoulders, “Give her something to be I don’t know… proud of?”

Dean scrutinized his brother. He could tell that Sam was well meaning with this. However he was not so sure about this. Angela had been through a lot and to have something like this sprung on her, he wasn’t sure how she would take it. Right now she was in an amused state that she had a real life double and one that wasn’t out to kill them. If she didn’t see it now, she probably wouldn’t see it ever and if she did, she wouldn’t connect. He knew her too well on that. She would stay away because of the crap she had been through and she wouldn’t put them through that. “No.”

“What?”

“We’re not going to tell her Sam,” Dean replied. He held up his hand to indicate that he was still talking. “I’m not going to put her through a major upheaval like that. She’s lived this long without knowing and if she hasn’t figured it out now, she won’t.”

“Dean it’s her family.”

“Sam, she’s ours. She even accepted that and in case you haven’t noticed, she thinks we are hers. She won’t say it but show it,” Dean countered. “I don’t want to do anything to have her go through sleepless nights. Not after what she’s been through since Darby. Like I said, if she hasn’t noticed and figured it out, she probably won’t ever and if she did, she won’t say anything about it.”

“It’s not right Dean,” Sam replied.

“Tell me about it but I think it’s best for now.”

Sam wanted to say something more but he couldn’t find the words. It didn’t sit right but he did have the sense to realize that her ability to deal with new emotions was akin to a child handling it. He didn’t blame her for that since she had been alone. Personally he thought knowing about the de la Vera might be a bright spot, like a good memory amongst the bad. He didn’t doubt that she wouldn’t stop considering him and Dean important to her. If anything she probably would find that knowing was just a nice thing for her. Dean mat see that but he could see where Dean was coming from. He would let it lie for a while and then maybe they could discuss it again.


	12. Chapter 12

Angela looked down the hospital corridors. She felt uneasy after speaking to that stranger in the diner. True she had been friendly and she acted a bit like the kind that was being nice to a newcomer but there was something off about her. Angela was used to getting hit on by women and men so she knew the feeling and how to counter it but what she felt after the brief conversation in the diner… It was unsettling and vaguely familiar.

She didn’t ignore it but pushed it to the back of her mind as she stole into the girl Lupe’s room. She had told Dean that she was going to talk to them but even she knew that there was such a thing as parent present or an advocate. So she went to her fallback on her best disguise and that was being a nurse. It worked more times than she could count and that was rather scary since using the same disguise too often led to a higher risk of being discovered.

Lupe had been admitted due to shock and some minor injuries resulting in blood loss but it wasn’t serious. According to the chart, the shock caused a miscarriage a thing that had Angela raise a brow in thought as she read the patient’s notes. How she was able to interpret doctor scribbles was something she marveled at every time she was able to translate them into a readable language in her mind.

The fact that the girl had been pregnant raised a question to mind and sort of confirmed a motive. Now that she was certain they weren’t dealing with a spirit, she went about looking for signs of what the thing really was. She suspected that the bastard was on this moral rampage and it seemed that the more visible and physical stuff was done to the girls. However she had a slight suspicion that the males responsible received a punishment as well. She could look into that later.

Right now she was looking at the unconscious girl in the hospital bed. She hated hospitals for their smells but sometimes, a few decades ago, she would wander the halls of a random hospital and go about doing what she did best: healing. She told both boys that such a skill belonged to healers, not killers. In her mind she was always a killer but she couldn’t help but reach out to give a hand whenever she could. It was in her nature to do so but it never occurred to her that it was her.

According to the notes, Lupe had been given sedatives and painkillers and other things since the miscarriage proved painful. From the notes, the bruises on the body were consistent with being tackled and gripped tightly. The shoulder wound Angela inspected by gently brushing the girl’s hair aside to reveal the telltale signs of teeth and very sharp ones to be exact. She knew that she was dealing with a vampire. Whether or not the de la Vera family was involved was something to be determined later.

Angela looked down at the girl and thought about what was toying in her mind. Physical wounds healed and scarred over. The mental and the emotional ones were something that couldn’t be done with a quick fix. She debated on whether or not it would be the right thing to do in light of things. She knew the cost of emotional scars and to mess with things like she could… She sighed. Her mind was made up.

Angela checked to make sure that no one was around and made sure the door was shut. She could do this since she had done it before. Channeling her focus she brought her hand over first the bite wound and conjuring up an image of cool running water, she ‘washed’ the bite away. In her mind’s eye she could see it washing away until nothing remained. Emboldened by the success, she turned to the bruises and other things and lastly the mind. Maybe Milagro could use another little miracle if only to help its people.

No one noticed the new nurse enter or leave Lupe’s room and head down the hall with a determined stride. They didn’t even notice when the same nurse stole into Rosita’s room with the same stealthy quietness that he used to get into the other girl’s room. They didn’t see anything.

Angela was grateful that she could maintain a sense of stealthiness but she attributed to not being discovered an act of luck. Usually it was when she did her angel of mercy trips through hospitals since she wasn’t a registered nurse or a licensed doctor and she had a bunch of fake IDs and the like. She could have easily been reported to security and all hell would have broken loose then. She would be on the most wanted list along with her boys.

Rosita was asleep but Angela knew that the girl could wake up any time but after reading the notes and taking a look at the bite wound… that was highly unlikely. Angela noted that the wound was considerably deeper and the girl was extremely lucky that the artery hadn’t been severed. Angela had seen enough and learned enough about the human body to know that veins were nothing but arteries were a different story. This girl got it worse than the others and Angela was curious as to know why.

Her investigation revealed that there was really nothing that the girl did to deserve such an attack. Nothing that would trigger a moral outrage or something like that. The girl was pretty much squeaky clean for the younger sibling of Maria Antonia and that was what had Angela suspicious and wary of the whole thing. Few people were that clean in terms of whom and what they were and maybe she was being a cynic with it but it was the job.

It was a taboo more to her than anyone else but Angela debated the risk of such a thing. The girl was in a drug induced sleep which meant that there could be anything in the girl’s head from pink elephants to big cuddly pandas. Plus there was the risk that she could be found out here and she could be taken somewhere and wake up disoriented and she could hurt the girl.

“I could stand guard for you.”

Angela looked up to see of all people Ruby standing there. She lowered her features into a scowl and replied, “Damn don’t you have anyone better to torment?”

“As a matter of fact I do but he seems to be unavailable at the moment so you’re the next best thing,” Ruby retorted in her usual fashion.

Angela could care less why Ruby was around since she had little love for the skank but it did pique her curiosity as to why the demon bitch bothered with her. She hounded her about getting Sam ready for the inevitable and mocked her for having faith in the council. Then the bitch jumps in to ‘save’ her from making a mistake. There maybe was a chance that Ruby may have changed but it was highly doubtful. More likely fear of certain retaliations was keeping her in line.

Ruby gave her signature pout as she stared at Angela. It was no secret even to dumb and dumber that there was little love between the two of them. Their relationship probably couldn’t even be characterized as an alliance given the amount of times they backstabbed each other. Still if she was going to make headway and keep the major players in the game, she had to get their heads on straight. She added, “Look. You have a bleeding heart that makes the big boys cringe in agony. I get it and I know you want to do right by the girl. I’m just here to make sure you do it.”

“I find it hard to take much of what you claim at face value.”

“And yet you listened when I told Dean that there is no hope of getting out of the deal.”

Angela crossed her arms in annoyance. “I know what you’re hinting at Ruby.”

“And I know you. You are considering it aren’t you? Making a deal and maybe trade in what makes you valuable to get the contract rescinded? How stupid is that?” Ruby glared back, pissed at the bland indifference Angela was assuming. It was times like those when Ruby truly doubted if she knew the woman or not.

“Maybe for a split second in a moment of weakness,” Angela admitted. She kept her arms crossed. It would prevent her from lashing out at the demon and doing something that she might regret. It was times like these that she wished it were Bela and then she would give her a good scare. “I am well aware of my ‘value’ to ones higher on the pay scale. Good ole Crowley never lets me forget it. As to what I am considering, you don’t know anything.”

“I know you well enough that you are willing to risk everything for the sake of one human and one that almost killed you and practically tossed you out the door. And here you are acting like it never happened.”

“It did happen, Ruby. I just managed to do the one thing that many individuals find hard to do. I forgave him for it,” Angela replied softening her tone a little. “I don’t pretend it didn’t happen. I simply don’t bring up the discussion at all unless someone does.”

“Ugh you make it sound like you’re a saint,” Ruby replied wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“I don’t pretend to be. You know as well as I that I can’t claim purist views. I’m here talking with you,” Angela replied with a slight attempt at humor.

Ruby was not amused but at least she appreciated Angela’s honesty in things. Some of the hunters had holier than art thou attitudes that were worth shit in her eyes. “Yeah you’re here with me. So are you going to need my help or not?”

Angela moved her head in that inquisitive puppy fashion that was irritating to some and endearing to others and regarded Ruby for a moment. Ruby had never given her any reason to become the slayer of the old days even if her ideas were totally wrong and she wanted so bad to gank the bitch. That didn’t mean that she would let her guard down either.

_I’m not your keeper Sam. I just have faith in the choices that we make._

She had told Sam that on several occasions mainly to emphasize that she wasn’t going to tell him what to do. She even pointed out that she had dealings with demons and talked to them. Sam and Dean were willing to work with Ruby and she went along with it. She could still do that but she just couldn’t let her guard down. She had been burned before and those were wounds that she was not ready to share yet. She looked at the demon and replied, “You’ll keep the nosies away?”

“Do you want me to swear on a Bible?”

Angela didn’t want that. The world would end at that moment. She replied, “No but no killing or maiming or ‘suggestions’. Got it?”

Ruby huffed in annoyance as she rolled her eyes. Leave it to Angela to cast a rain cloud over her fun. “Fine. I’ll just be a guard dog while you go have fun in someone’s dream world.”

“I’m not even sure that it will be fun. The things people come up with. It’s scary and worse than you or me,” Angela joked as she pulled up a chair. She sat in it and looked at the girl. It was going to be uncomfortable sitting in a chair but it was a hell lot better than trying to do the dream walk thing lying on the floor.

“Yeah well they don’t have anything on you,” Ruby retorted.

“You’re right. Still people have come up with scarier things.”

Ruby blew out air feeling exasperated. She rolled her eyes as she opened the door and went to patrol the halls. She paused before leaving, “How long do you need?”

“Give or take thirty minutes,” Angela replied after some thought. She looked at the girl and sighed. “And Ruby, not a word.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Right, like they don’t already know,” she muttered. She left the room and began the patrol. She could sick a hell mutt on people but then she would be breaking her word and that was something that she didn’t want to do. She grumbled. _Of all the things I do…_

Angela gave a wry smile as she turned her attention to the girl sleeping. The bite wound was serious and she would have no trouble healing that. She could do that after her little talk since it was the reason she was unconscious in the first place. Sighing she took a marker that had been left behind and started drawing on the blank sheets of paper. She needed the sigils along with the chant in order to enter the girl’s dreams. It would require everything the god of dreams had taught her in order to get what she needed. _Of all the things I’ve done and do…_

****

It certainly was a dream. If not the feeling of it, definitely the look as Angela looked around at what was probably the most ‘normal’ look of a dream she could get. All those lessons and training with Morpheus had trained her to be perceptive of the little details that could make or break the difference between the real world and the dream world. He had warned her that some dreamers could form dreams that were just as potent as reality.

Right now she was in Milagro, right in the church. Angela recognized the simple décor as well as the statues of the saints that lined the edges. She half expected the padre to come out and ask her if she wanted to make a confession. However instead of empty pews they were filled with people. Probably the whole town was there.

“You know I am surprised that you are putting into practice one of the homework exercises I gave you.”

Angela nearly jumped since the voice was so close to her ear but grumbled instead. She replied, “It’s not exactly the circumstances I would wish to partake in that exercise if ever. What are you doing here Morpheus?”

The god of dreams studied Angela with an elderly eye. He replied, “I was doing my usual inspection when I sensed the gates opening. It was not a natural one like my normal dreamers so naturally I was curious and lo and behold here you are.”

“You expect me to believe that you are here because of curiosity,” Angela replied looking at the god. “You’re gonna have to do better than that. You trained me remember?”

Morpheus chuckled. Few mortals were allowed to get away with being so familiar with him and she was one of them. He figured that out the moment he tried to use the Winchesters in his exercises and trainings with her. She got upset with that and at one point she did manage to alter the world and manipulate the dream realm to… He replied, “I did and you are one of my best students. Even the brothers can’t rival you.”

“If you’re referring to the one time I actually wrested control of your realm for a time… That was a fluke and you know it.”

“Not for someone who has had experience walking and manipulating the realm,” Morpheus replied. “Not to mention the fact that you have a unique ability that you seem most reluctant to use.”

“Again another fluke since that is a talent that belongs to healers, not killers,” Angela replied.

“And that is what you are. You are a healer. You forget in my realm I have access to your memories. I can see your angel of mercy missions as clear as day. You want to heal these girls from whatever attacked them as well as take down the one responsible.”

Angela looked at the scene. It looked like a mass was going on. She sighed, “I want to find out why the vamp responsible went after her and her friends. I won’t let this bring trouble on the de la Vera family.”

“You seem certain that they aren’t involved.”

“I’m not sure exactly what is certain anymore,” Angela admitted. “I talk to demons one too many times and I knew that it was a life for a life in regards to Dean and even if I’m willing, they won’t let me.”

Morpheus was well aware of recent circumstances. Natural order rules were a bitch at times and he could understand her frustration. She was important which was why they wouldn’t let her though he was certain Isis would have been agreeable even if it broke her heart. That goddess had a thing for free will. He could also see that Angela had changed. She was not the lone cynic he knew her to be. She opened her heart and she was unsure where the path would take her. It was not a state to be in in this realm. He reminded her gently, “Your uncertainty is a danger here.”

“I know. Right now I need to find Rosita and understand why she was given a more severe wound,” Angela replied as she shrugged her uncertainty away. Morpheus was right. There was no place for it here.

Morpheus looked around and replied, “Well you are in her dreams. You must find her and talk to her.”

“Thanks for the obvious,” Angela replied with a slight hint of sarcasm. She started looking around at the guests and the setup of the church. She looked at the altar and found a girl in white standing up there. She approached to get a closer look.

As it stood, Angela thought that the girl in white was Rosita. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be the memory of Maria Antonia. She looked around at the girl’s court and she spotted Rosita. She was looking at the ceremony with a wistful and sad look. Angela left the company of the dream god to get closer. At first the girl didn’t seem to notice Angela but then when she turned her head and actually saw her, she almost jumped. The girl then said, “You aren’t supposed to be here.”

It was natural for Angela to reply, “Tell me about it. However you have something that I need to know.”

Rosita studied the stranger. She had this dream before; that she got to see her sister’s quinceañera but the woman was new. She had never seen her before and she looked a lot like Elena. Yet she knew that it wasn’t her friend. She was hesitant. “What do you want? Are you here to hurt me?”

Angela made a softened smile. It was easy to ignore the ceremony since it would continue regardless of what else was going on. That was the nature of dreams in general. She replied, “I am a friend. I think I can help you by catching the guy that hurt you.”

“You couldn’t catch her. She’s too fast,” Rosita replied with a wide eyed expression. She shook her head in the negative to affirm that Angela had no chance against the thing that attacked her.

“Her?” Angela thought it was a guy but then again short hair and the type of clothes being worn; that could justify the male appearance. She would know since she had ‘borrowed’ Sam’s clothes on occasion.

“Yes. She was… I don’t know what she was. She had red rimmed eyes and these pointed teeth.” Rosita began to shake.

“I know,” Angela made haste to calm the girl. She risked it and used her empath ability to send calming waves.

It worked since the girl calmed down. She looked at Angela as if she couldn’t believe that happened. She replied, “She bit me.”

This was where Angela wanted to get. She had to proceed carefully since she could scare the girl again and that could prove to be a problem for her. She replied after putting a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder, “I know that. What I am curious about is why.” When the girl refused to answer, Angela knew she had to show her cards. “I know about Lupe. She miscarried. Ana is fine but her father got the brunt of it and she was the one suffering boy trouble.” She moved her head to try to catch the girl in the eye but it was difficult since the girl was refusing to do so directly.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Rosita replied and turned to continue with the ceremony. She didn’t want to think about it. Here she was safe. Maybe the stranger would go away and leave her alone.

Angela didn’t want to take drastic measures but she needed to know why the girl was attacked. Well technically she didn’t but because there was nothing evident, it begged to ask the why. She called upon her training and experience and manipulated the dream realm so that the ceremony disappeared.

“What happened? Where did? How did you?” Rosita looked around at the void they were standing in.

Angela looked at the girl and waited until she had her full attention. She then said, “Look I understand that you are scared of something. I know that your friends were attacked because they violated the moral code all young ladies are supposed to follow. You haven’t done anything that people can see and that provides a question as to why you were attacked.”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes you do.” Angela paused as she studied the girl. She ran through the evidence in her mind and came to a realization. She looked at the girl and asked, “You’re gay aren’t you?”

Rosita nodded as her eyes watered in shame. “I realized that a year ago. My girlfriend and I have been keeping it a secret. We made sure nobody knew. How could someone find out?”

 _I have a few ideas how_ , Angela thought to herself. Out loud she replied, “I think whoever did this was spying on you. I think it may be the same person who killed your sister fifteen years ago.”

“Maria Antonia committed suicide,” Rosita blubbered as she calmed down.

“I don’t think so. Now that I understand, I can stop whoever did this,” Angela replied as she kept her hand on the girl. “I am sorry that I scared you but I needed to know.”

“But now everyone will know.”

“No they won’t. I can keep a secret. You can trust me on that,” Angela replied as she smiled reassuringly. Maybe she was laying it on thick but it was the truth. The poor girl was scared of retaliation. “I won’t tell a soul.”

Rosita nodded. She didn’t know the woman that bore a resemblance to Elena but she could tell that she was telling the truth. She didn’t know how or why but she believed her. “Thank you. The people are unforgiving.”

“I understand completely.” Angela looked around and recreated the scene she had interrupted. “I’m going to go now. You are safe in your dreams and I promise that what happened won’t leave a mark.”

Once the image was recreated, Angela guided the girl to the beginning and then gave a gentle push. Now the girl was ensconced in her dreams and she could leave without raising problems. As she prepared to leave, she glanced over and saw Morpheus looking at her with a look of approval on his face. She gave a wry smile in return and started muttering the chant to return.

She appeared in the girl’s hospital room. Rosita was still asleep and it looked like that nothing had gone wrong. That was a good thing.

“That was fast,” Ruby replied. “So, can you heal the girl so we can go? Your goody two shoe act is making me sick.”

Angela gave a wry grin in Ruby’s direction as she exposed the wound on the girl’s neck. She channeled her power and hovered her hand over it. The hand glowed as she summoned her visual and healed the bite wound.


	13. Chapter 13

“I still can’t believe that you risk quite a bit going in there and healing wounds that would take days and weeks to heal.”

“They’ll call it a miracle Ruby. That’s why the town is called Milagro,” Angela replied in a nonchalant tone that was guaranteed to make Ruby pissed. She was surprised that the demon still wanted to stick around. Her instincts grew suspicious but she wasn’t going to outwardly accuse unless it was necessary.

“Don’t be cute. You’re supposed to be a hunter, not a damn Florence Nightingale act,” Ruby retorted. “I can’t believe I agreed to be your guard dog.”

“I can’t believe you did either. You hate me and I hate you. Then again it could be called interagency cooperation.” Angela gave a grin that was designed to infuriate rather than garner support from the demon.

Ruby scowled. As much as she disliked Angela, she respected the Chaser that was known for beating the crap out of some pretty powerful demons. It was a love-hate relationship and she was fine with it but she was damned annoyed by the devilish sense of humor Angela had for certain situations. She knew one day that they would eventually go at it to kill each other and she actually looked forward to that. She replied, “Cute.”

“I know,” Angela replied. “Makes you feel all warm and gooey inside for once not being able to rip the flesh from someone’s bones.” Her voice took on sarcastic tones since the demon didn’t respond to anything else.

“Please that is something the little worm Cary would do,” Ruby retorted, “I slowly peel it from the bones.”

Angela rolled her eyes. She knew Ruby resented the goody two shoe act that she insisted upon after coming out of the dream vision. She felt bad that she had to scare the girl a little to get her to cooperate and she was familiar with human defense mechanisms when faced with trauma like that. At least she didn’t put the girl into a state of shock but used her ability to calm people down to get her to tell her the secret. Now she understood the why and now she needed to figure out how to get the thing before it decided to go after Elena.

Before leaving, Angela used her healing ability to heal the bite wound on Rosita’s neck. It was fairly deep and she was lucky she didn’t bleed out. At least she could make up for that by fixing it. That last healing drained her but she wasn’t going to let Ruby know that. So she covered with the usual sarcasm and jokes in the hopes that the demon would split after giving another ‘pep talk’. She replied with the sarcasm thick on her tongue, “Yes that is certainly better. So what’s the pep talk this time?”

“Hey I came to see if you got your head out of your ass long enough to focus on a job.”

“Nice try bitch,” Angela deadpanned. “Seriously are you going to tell me to toughen Sam up and face the inevitable?”

“Something like that,” Ruby countered.

“News flash: already did,” Angela retorted as she leaned against the truck she had borrowed. “You were right about the council. Then you try to ‘save’ me from giving into Crowley. Makes me wonder if I’m the one in hell and not Dean.”

Ruby snorted, “Don’t kid yourself. You know the pit better than anyone.” She then paused and gave a knowing look. She added, “And you didn’t tell them.”

“What? That I know about the pit?”

“Don’t be a smartass. You didn’t tell them that you’ve been to the pit. Doesn’t surprise me that dumbass Dean didn’t pick up on your unusual agreement to everything I said.”

“And you should know as well as I that you can find out stuff like that if you know where to look,” Angela countered smoothly. Ruby had her in that regard. She knew what it was like in the pit. She didn’t say anything and her reasons were her own.

“But don’t you think it would be interesting for them to know why you fight so hard on Dean’s behalf? And that maybe you’re entertaining an idea that would have them both jumping down your throat?”

“If you mean threaten a crossroads demon… sorry Sam did that already.” Angela knew about that night when Sam took off to use the Colt as leverage and he killed Carla. He didn’t tell her but she knew from observing his movements in the morning. It made her all the more determined to get the deal rescinded. “You know I’m surprised that you haven’t pestered me about finding the one that actually holds Dean’s contract. You seem anxious for me to fix a lot of things and I admit that I was somewhat touched by your declaration that you remember what it was like to be human.”

“Okay you got me. Look I didn’t bring it up before because you’re the only one capable of getting Sam ready for the inevitable. You know pain, suffering and loss.”

“Oh thank you for that kind description, Ruby,” Angela scoffed with a slight sneer.

“I’m serious. Besides if you are serious about saving Dean, you know that you have to go after the one with the contract. You’re the only one that can.”

Angela raised her brow in a questioning look. “Why me?”

“Aside from the fact that you scare the crap out of every demon as low a Cary, you can ‘hold’ the ticket literally. Get the contract and you are in control. You can alter the terms. It is your right as a broker.”

Angela had started pacing in front of the truck. She was polite enough to let Ruby fill her in on things. This last one though… She wheeled to face Ruby, “You’re saying that I should chase down demons and nab a contract for myself. Are you stupid?”

“Look no one can save Dean. At least no one human and no Sam can’t since I know you know about what Azazel did to him at six months. They can try all they want. Deep down you know that it takes someone with ‘demon’ blood to hold the contract and dictate terms. You know as a broker you can dictate terms… well a trade secret is that you can nab it for yourself. Do you really think any of the other dicks of that precious order of yours will follow through with that? Especially the ones that are more demon than you?” Ruby looked at Angela. This was why she wanted to keep her from making a deal with Crowley. She needed to be free from a contract in order to go down places that few not brave enough would go.

Angela moved her head in the inquisitive puppy manner as she regarded Ruby. It was possible to wrest the contract from the demon that held it. She could admit that. What Ruby was proposing was akin to actually dealing like a demon. That was a boundary that was fast fading in terms of willingness to cross it. She had never heard of it before and that was the reason why it was probably a trade secret. If too many people found out, they would be hopping onto the train to get their contracts. She bit her lower lip slightly before replying, “They wouldn’t cross that boundary especially since it puts them on level with the rest of you hell bitches.” She pursed her lips into a tight line as she stared at the demon, wishing she would leave.

“No but then again they aren’t willing to do what is necessary to get things done,” Ruby countered. She shortened the distance between them to look Angela in the eye. “You are.” She then took a step back and turned to walk away. She paused to look back at Angela who was still staring at her. She said, “You know you’re the only one capable and I know that you do things your own way to appease your conscious. Then again, did you ever really have one after the time in the pit?”

Angela gritted her teeth in anger. She could hear them clicking against each other as she resisted the urge to pull out one of her knives and throw it at the bitch. Ruby had a way of just getting down in your soul and twisting the part that was already in pain. She replied, “I should kill you where you stand.”

“But you and I know that you won’t,” Ruby replied with a sardonic grin. “You need someone like me in your life to remind you of the things that you need to make work.”

“I don’t need you.”

“You do. You need me because I tell you the truth. It is your stupid morality that gets in the way. If you want to save Dean by playing it safe then be my guest but don’t ever pretend that side of you doesn’t exist.” Ruby pointed her finger in a warning gesture at Angela. From the looks of things, the Halfling wanted to rip her head off. That was good. Then maybe she could get her head in the game and finish this case and get the hell on with it in terms of saving her precious Dean. “You appear weak that way and it’s foolish to deny what you are.”

“I know what I am. I can’t change that though the gods know that I’ve tried,” Angela replied as she pointed at herself. “But I’m not about to do something ‘in tune’ with my nature and in essence destroy who I am. I won’t do that even though I will chase the demon if only to threaten for a release.”

Ruby sighed in exasperation. She knew that she wasn’t going to get her to change her mind anytime soon. That was like wishing for a chunk of the moon. At least she planted the idea in her head and knowing Angela, she would think about it during her spare time. “Fine do what you want. You always do but remember this: if you want a guarantee that Dean will be saved from his contract, you have to be the one left standing and holding it. Then you can change the deals. Even your precious council can’t dispute that.” Saying nothing more, Ruby started walking until she disappeared. She planted the seed and she was confident that Angela would start doing research on it. She wished she could see her face when she found out that everything she said was true.

Angela watched as Ruby disappeared. As always the bitch showed her true colors. Everything that the demon told her… The question that arose was whether it was possible or not. Angela felt that this was too good to be true. She could go after the demon since that was always a viable option. She put a hand up to her forehead to calm down and think.

She did manage to calm down since she reminded herself that she had a job to do. She sighed again. Ruby always had to come at the strangest and inopportune moments in time. Angela figured the bitch liked doing that on purpose and that was a no brainer. She walked over to the truck and pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. “Hey, it’s me.”

_Hey, where are you?_

“Hospital. I just found out how all the girls are connected.” Angela looked around. “Hey Sam, we’re not dealing with a spirit. The girl was an omen.”

_Then what are we dealing with?_

“A vampire. A very dangerous one. I think it is operating under religious fervor and it makes sense since each of the girls committed a ‘sin’.”

_Are you thinking the de la Vera family?_

“No but I think they might know who it is.”

_You thinking that they might be protecting him._

“I don’t know Dean. The more I think about I, the less sure I am.” Angela looked around again and frowned slightly. “Did you find out anything else?”

_Um… maybe._

“Good. You can fill me in when I get in.”

_Alright. Don’t go breaking any speed limits. We don’t need you on Henricksen’s to do list._

_Dean._

Angela gave a slight smile as she hung up the phone and slowly turned into a frown. She had heard a slight uncertainty in both of their voices. It was like they knew something and weren’t quite sure how to tell her. Well she would find out when she got back. She glanced at her watch and noted the time as she opened the door. What she didn’t expect was the sudden slam from behind and the sound of her face smacking the truck. She growled and tried to fight back but was grabbed in a way so that she couldn’t move. The next thing she knew, her face was meeting the hood of the truck and she saw black.

****

The smell of wet dirt could be a gift or a sign that one needed to get out. Angela wrinkled her nose as she opened her eyes slowly. It was dark and she could hear the drip of water. It was strange since this part of Mexico was mostly desert/chaparral scrub brush and then there were the mountains. That was generally speaking. Slowly she lifted her head to look around and try to figure out where she was.

Slightly moving, Angela found that her hands had been bound and tied around some piping of a sort. The knot was tight but maybe she could slip them since they weren’t laced with something to prevent her from moving. She started rotating her wrists to see if she could find an end and start to figure out a way to escape.

“Strange. You look like her but you don’t move like her.”

Angela looked up to see a pair of glowing orbs in the darkness. She watched as the owner walked forward to reveal a woman with short ribbed hair. The cut looked a lot like Sam’s only his flapped like puppy ears and Angela found herself wondering how she came up with that observation. The woman was wearing all black and the leather duster she was wearing was black. _What a relief. I get a crazy Goth and that is a bag of snakes I don’t want to get into._

The woman regarded her prisoner and Angela could see the red rimmed look. However the eyes were wide open. Angela recognized a hunger look when she saw it and it was directed at her. She replied, “Look like who? Your mother?”

The woman turned her head to the side and stared at Angela. She slowly smiled, “You are not little Elena but you look like her. So pretty.” She kneeled in front of Angela and touched her face, gently stroking the cheek. She liked this one but she was sorry that she had to be taught a lesson… eventually; after her work was done.

“Alert the media,” Angela grumbled as she tensed when the woman touched her face. It was a gentle caress like a lover would do but it was disconcerting. When women expressed their interest it always was. “So you’re the one who has been attacking those girls.”

The woman continued to stroke her new pretty’s cheek. She was pretty. “Such a shame that such a pretty committed a sin. Don’t you know that you’re not supposed to talk to demons?”

“So you’ve been spying on me,” Angela stated as a fact. She tensed and moved to hide the fact that she was trying to slip her bonds.

“Watching little Elena. She is such a good girl. She knows what good girls are supposed to do.” The woman replied as she studied every detail of Angela’s face. She ran her fingers down her cheek feeling the softness. Out of curiosity, she ran her fingers through the hair. It was silky and smooth. Her new pretty was so pretty.

Angela hoped her captor would get the idea of touching her mouth. She was entertaining the idea of biting a few fingers off. It wasn’t to be so since the woman was interested in studying her face. So this crazy vamp was the one that caused so much trouble? _Why do I always get stuck with the crazies?_ Out loud she asserted, “So you’re the one who attacked those girls?”

“They needed to be taught a lesson,” the woman replied. She leaned in to take a whiff of Angela’s scent and breathed in deeply. “They needed to be taught again what proper young girls needed to be.” She touched the tip of her nose gently to Angela’s hair and sniffed again.

“I can understand Lupe and Rosita but you almost killed them. You killed Maria Antonia,” Angela replied. She almost had it but the angle was wrong. She would have to twist her body to get it to more reasonable angles and get herself free. She could feel the rope burn where she rubbed it but that was nothing.

“Big sister was an accident and she did try to do right but in the end…” The woman turned her eyes towards Angela’s neck. “The other was trapped and she wanted out.” The woman picked through Angela’s hair to get some brush out of it. “Little sister was an abomination. She did wrong.”

Angela understood what that meant. She had nothing against homosexuals herself. It was when they forced their attentions on her and they didn’t take the hint that she wasn’t interested was where it bothered the hell out of her. She did have a beef with people who tried to use religion to justify their hatreds. She had spent lord knows how long observing such things that culminated in a war of brother against brother. However this was a vampire who was terrorizing people and doing the bloodsucking thing. A line did have to be drawn. She replied, “But you killed innocents. Maria Antonia and Lupe were pregnant and they lost their babies. Isn’t that a sin?”

The woman pulled back to look at Angela. The red rimmed eyes became more pronounced as she stared wide eyed at her. “I taught them a lesson.”

“But you killed the lives within them. Is it not a greater sin to kill an innocent?”

Angela could tell that her question had some effect on her captor. At least it was distracting enough. She was almost free. She just had to wear down the vamp and make her see something other than the kill.

The woman cocked her head as if confused. Then her features narrowed in anger and she swooped close down to land in front of Angela. She grabbed a fistful of hair and brought Angela’s head to look up at her. She said, “They were sinners. They needed to be taught a lesson. The sins of the father are visited upon the sons. They were saved from their taint.”

Angela gritted her teeth from the hair pulling. She managed to grit out, “That’s why they learn from it. Suffering the consequences is part of learning from mistakes.”

“It is no mistake but a sin.” The woman forced Angela to look her in the eye. She said, “Little Elena was so good. She bore the secret of her family all her life and protects her brother. She goes to mass and excels in school; everything that a good girl is supposed to be.”

“Then leave her be. You touch her, you would be spilling innocent blood…”

Angela felt the stinging backhand on her face. It was followed by the coppery taste of blood on her lip and tongue. The vamp hit her hard enough to make her bleed. That would spell trouble for her. It was like attracting a shark with blood in the ocean. She looked at the woman and saw the orbs flashing. She heaved slightly in anger.

The woman glared at Angela in return and stared for a moment. She then noticed the drop that was filling on her lip. She drew blood and it looked so succulent. The smell was even more tantalizing. She kneeled slowly and seductively in front of Angela. With a slim finger, she ran it along where the blood was oozing out and let it coagulate on her finger. With a slow and seductive movement, she stuck the blood laden finger in her mouth and suckled it, savoring the taste; her eyes closed to reflect her pleasure. She opened them and looked at Angela and replied, “Little Elena committed a sin my pretty. It is a shame since she is such a good little girl and about to become a woman.”

Angela rolled her lips in an attempt to get the touch of the vamp off of them. So far she was lucky the bitch decided not to partake from her neck. She had no idea what she would do if that were to happen. She did however manage to reply, “She has done nothing wrong. Leave her alone.”

“She will be taught a lesson as well as her family about controlling their impulses.” The woman stood up and prepared to leave. “The man should have known better.”

“What do you mean?”

“It is typical of a man to use his charm to get what he wants from a girl. He will pay for what he did to Elena and when that is done, you will get what is coming to you my pretty. You after all sinned by talking to the demon.”

“It was an aggressive negotiation.”

“Even more horrible. Don’t worry. It won’t be like the others. You might even enjoy it.”

Angela didn’t need a picture drawn to know what the vamp meant by that. She had plenty of memories of **that** from the pit. She was not going to go through that again. She was almost free and then she could bitch slap the vamp in front of her. “Stay away from the girl.”

“I realize now my pretty that you should be more worried about the man who tried to have his way with Elena. A pity since he has such compelling eyes and a charming grin. I can see the bad boy look with that leather jacket.”

Angela darted her eyes upwards. It was imperative that she get free now. “Leave him alone.”

“He will be punished as well as that puppy of a brother that accompanies him. He may not have done anything but they are both killers. Killers are a sin. You can smell the blood of their kills on them. Nothing washes it away but they are clever. Much more than the last one,” the woman replied as an afterthought. She glanced off in a direction.

Angela followed the gaze to where a skeleton was sitting against a piping like she was. It was clearly human and she could see the scraps of clothing still hanging onto it. She realized that the vamp knew Sam and Dean were hunters but associated them with the commandment of ‘thou shalt not murder.’ Holy crap! She reverted her gaze back to the woman and jerked her arms as if that would break the ropes free. “Damn you bitch. You will not have them.”

The woman began to laugh. She liked this pretty. “Not at once but by the time I’m through, they will have learned their lesson and it will be from you.” She then walked towards Angela and kneeled. In a quick motion, she grabbed Angela’s chin and held it hard. “Now you behave. When the lesson is over, then we can have all the fun in the world and you will learn to be a nice little girl.”

“And when I get free I am going to kill you,” Angela replied as she narrowed her eyes in anger. She would not let this bitch have them.

“You won’t be a killer my pretty. You will be a new teacher and teach any who do a sin the right way,” the woman replied. She leaned in close and kissed Angela slowly on the lips, not caring that Angela wasn’t responding. She found her pretty and she won’t let her go. She came out of the kiss and smiled sensually at the scowl on Angela’s face. “You will get used to it.”

“Not in a million years,” Angela muttered under her breath. She watched as the vamp smiled in reply and stood up slowly. She made to turn and at the last second delivered a punch to the side of her face. Then the vamp took off in the direction of freedom leaving Angela in a daze and a fierce desire to get free.


	14. Chapter 14

Elena liked it when the family held fiestas since she got to see all her cousins and aunts and uncles and even those extending into the great grand aunts and uncles. She was not afraid of vampires per se but she had respect for them. She knew that there were ones out there that were not like her family and that they aimed to kill people. She knew that if she met any like them, she would just have to be wary and avoid them or if she had to kill them. As it were though, she looked forward to the dinner and the party now that the ghost had been taken care of.

She walked through the main part of the house greeting her relatives. She also kept an eye out for the three hunters that came. They had been invited but they really hadn’t made an appearance all day since the family started arriving. She didn’t really blame them but since her double was like Ernesto, she thought they would be comfortable being around a house full of vampires, humans and Halflings. At least her double would have been able to blend in and not stay in the shadows. Dean made that clear when he praised her ability to lay on the disguises.

She saw her favorite cousin Hawke lounging in one corner looking bored. He usually was at family functions but she rather liked him. He always had some idea to make life exciting for the family. He grinned at her and she walked over towards him and said, “You look like you won big. So give.”

Hawke grinned at his favorite cousin. Out of all the cousins she was his favorite since she was the only one not to run away when he vamped out in front of a hunter who tried to kill him. She defended him and ever since then, he held a special place for her. He was fairly old but he looked like a twenty year old and had always been the acceptable chaperone for Elena. He replied, “I did. I get to see my favorite cousin become a woman.”

“You are a flatterer Hawke.” Elena smiled as she looked around.

“Looking for someone? You got a boyfriend that I don’t know about?” Hawke teased gently as he looked around. He had smelled something when he came in and he was curious about whom it belonged to.

“No,” Elena replied as she looked around. She could trust her cousin with a lot of things. She just wasn’t sure if he would overreact about… She wanted to tell but she had to gauge his mood. She knew Hawke could get moody about people like their three guests but he wasn’t the kind to attack everyone on sight.

“A long lost cousin that I don’t know about? Did Aunt Rosa find an obscure member of the family tree?” Hawke knew that Aunt Rosa had a little obsession of finding the lost branch of the family even though most everyone else dismissed it as a tall tale.

“Nothing like that,” Elena replied. She bit her lower lip and made her decision. “Can you keep a secret?”

Hawke knew that it was big if Elena had to ask him that and he suspected that it was something that could blow up in her face with the more volatile members of the family. Still he could keep a secret since he could afford to be more open-minded. He replied, “You know I will for you little princess.”

Elena smiled at her cousin and replied in a whisper, “Well I was looking for some guests. They are hunters.”

“And why would your parents invite them here? They’ve been the ones that have kept up with the warning hunters away.” His hawk like eyes of whiskey brown searched his cousin’s expression to make sure there was nothing amiss. It wasn’t that he assumed they were in trouble but more of a defense mechanism.

Elena gave a slight toss of her head in the direction of Aunt Rosa, “Who do you think? I met one of them while I was getting some treats for my best boy. It was a case of mistaken identity and the old lady wanted to meet them. She liked them and you know how Papa is.”

Hawke chuckled as she ran a hair through his dark messy locks. The tips were tinged blonde and he looked like those cool, suave guys that the girls swooned over. “I know. Aunt Rosa has most of us wound around her fingers. So there are three hunters? Certainly explains the unfamiliar scents I picked up on the way in.”

“You can smell them? Oh dear.”

“Hey. I just pay attention more. They probably think they are new hands to the ranch,” Hawke countered. “So they’re here on a case? What is it this time?”

“You heard about Lupe, Rosita and Ana right?”

Hawke thought about it. “Yep. So they figured it out?”

“I don’t know,” Elena frowned. “No one had seen them all day and I’m a little worried.”

“They are probably doing their job,” Hawke supplied, “Then again they probably are aware of our less tolerant family members. They don’t want to cause trouble.”

“Since when did you get to be so tolerant of hunters?”

“Since I work with them now. They aren’t all that bad,” Hawke replied with a slight smirk. He did work with some of them and found them to be quite pleasant fellows and he even found out that a few were not all human either. It certainly changed his world.

Elena looked at her cousin in surprise. He had always been wary of the hunters. So to find out that he actively helped them out was a rather enlightening experience. “So you’ve joined the ranks?”

“I’m a dabbler and I was asked to check out Milagro since the hunters are well aware about Uncle Diego’s campaign to keep them away. Can’t say I blame him especially since that Walker mess,” Hawke replied.

“What about? The three here are looking into the ghost problem,” Elena replied with a puzzled look on her face. She didn’t notice the lone woman watching her with an intense expression that was quickly gone when she was greeted by one of the family.

Hawke had been privy to secrets too. He wasn’t sure of what to tell his cousin. As it turned out he didn’t have to say anything because one of the scents he had picked up just showed right in front of them. Hawke gave a scrutinizing glance of the hunter and was surprised to see that he was young even though he was quite tall. Standing next to Elena, he towered over her and he looked a little nervous. He addressed Elena, “Elena, um can we talk?”

Elena looked at Sam surprised that he was talking to her in the first place. She thought that he would be avoiding her since she did clock him on the head and called him a pervert. It didn’t occur to her that he didn’t consider it a big deal now that he could differentiate between her and Angela. If she had been paying attention, she would have noticed that she was shorter and of course the personal touches in terms of clothes and hair. She replied, “Yeah Sam.”

“In private?”

Elena could sense that it was big if he wanted to talk to her about it. She wasn’t sure how her cousin would take this since… “Sure. Hawke…?” She looked at her cousin with a bit of hesitancy, not sure if he was agreeable.

“Hey I can ward off relatives or come along. I don’t have a beef with your kind,” Hawke replied with a careless shrug of his shoulders. He was interested in what the hunter had to say but it was his cousin’s call.

Elena nodded slightly and looked at Sam, “Hawke can come.” When Sam looked at him warily she added, “He’s cool.”

Sam for his part was suspicious and wary about involving someone he didn’t know too much about. True they were her family but given the fact that they were dealing with a vampire… it just didn’t pay to take too many chances. Yet he was willing to give a little and plus he was worried. Angela should have been back long before now since he knew she would want to be there to actually find the vamp. When she hadn’t come back, Sam had voiced his worry to Dean.

Dean told him that he shouldn’t be worried since she was at a hospital and probably decided to be Florence Nightingale for a while. Sam could tell that Dean didn’t even buy his own reassurance. His brother was trying to make him feel better but Sam couldn’t help but be worried. He worried that someone would take notice of her similarities to Elena de la Vera and end up acting on an impulse. In the end they decided to go to the family dinner just to watch out for Elena and for any funny business that might occur. Sam thought it would be a good idea to at least warn Elena which was why he was out there to get her attention. “Alright.”

Elena nodded and looked around. She wouldn’t be missed in this crowd unless someone tried to make an announcement. She grabbed Sam’s elbow and led him to a side room after motioning Hawke to follow. She was startled when Dean slipped in saying, “I said just her, Sam.”

“He’s good Dean.”

“That your opinion?”

Sam motioned with his eyes towards Elena. He really didn’t want to get into an argument and he hoped Dean would just accept that. He was relieved when Dean gave his customary scowl that turned into a scrutiny of the vampire and he asked, “Got a name?”

Hawke liked the shorter of the pair. He grinned and replied, “Hawke. So what is it that you think you got?” He gave a playful smirk that said that he could do better if Dean couldn’t. He knew it would probably infuriate him but it would be fun.

Dean looked at the vampire with his scrutinizing glare. He had what he found out and what Angela told him. At that thought, he wondered where the hell she was. She hadn’t shown up or called ever since that last call from the hospital. “Dean,” he gave his name, “Just that we know what has been attacking the girls.”

“Okay so why do you want a private conversation?” Elena asked the question. When Dean refused to answer, she realized that even though they believed her about Hawke, they were not going to accept so readily. It was a caution thing. She looked at her cousin and gave a slight nod for him to go.

Hawke understood. That didn’t mean he was going to listen. He voiced, “I’m curious myself. Since I am playing spy on my own family for a bunch of hunters like you, I think I have a right to know.”

“That doesn’t carry bupkiss with us,” Dean retorted.

“Dean,” Sam interjected quietly. Now was not the time to get in arms over who was in charge of what and those old games.

“Sam, we have to be careful about everybody. Hell this Hawke guy could be the one we are looking for.” Dean set his face in a stubborn line.

“Are you saying that one of my family is responsible?” Elena asked incredulous and angry that Dean would insinuate such a thing.

“A vamp attacked your friends,” Dean allowed. He continued to glare at Hawke who was looking amused at the whole situation rather than angry.

“And you think it’s one of my family? The people I’ve known my whole life?” Elena was getting visible angry over the whole thing. It was preposterous. None of her family would put the entire family at risk like that. It was dangerous and foolish and stupid. “That’s impossible.”

Sam saw that the situation could get out of hand. He tried his usual methods of appeasing, “We don’t mean your family but maybe someone they know. One that could be hiding behind what your parents do to keep hunters away.”

“Oh yes you do,” Elena retorted. Her face was contorted in anger.

“No we don’t. We are just being cautious that someone may warn the vamp by accident,” Sam replied. He put a hand on Elena’s upper arm. He got the distinct impression that she wanted to punch Dean and he knew that Elena had a temper. He remembered how hard she hit him and that was with a book.

Suddenly Sam found himself being knocked aside and pinned to a wall. He looked to see the same happen to his brother and the vamp that came with Elena. It left Elena vulnerable and his eyes darted around to see who it was. It was difficult because he found that he was pinned and he was certain that the others were too.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such atrocious behavior and in the house of de la Vera.”

Elena looked at the newcomer and wondered why no one heard the noise. She was also surprised at who it was. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t, not after everything her family did when that crazy hunter came through. She frowned in surprise, “What are you doing Zoe?”

There wasn’t much chance of an answer before Elena found herself being gripped tightly. She got a good look at Zoe and saw that she was extremely pale and her normally dark brown eyes were rings with crimson and she looked like she was hungry. Elena had seen the hunger look before but not like this. “Zoe?”

Zoe held fast to Elena muttering, “Such a good little girl and you had to go and spoil it by becoming familiar with men older than you. Naughty, naughty.” She put her nose to the collarbone of Elena and gave a sniff. “No. You must see it.”

Elena was pushed into a chair and when she tried to get up, she found that she couldn’t move. She could tell Dean was getting pissed especially since Zoe grabbed Sam. She said, “Zoe, leave them alone. They are only…”

“Oh I know what they are my pretty little Elena,” Zoe replied as she held Sam tightly. She grinned when she felt Sam struggle. “But they too have committed sin by being alone with someone young like you. At their age.” Zoe gave a slight toss of her head in amusement. She looked at Sam and said, “Don’t even try an justify it. Since you are also a hunter, you are twice damned.” She gave a sniff along his neck, “Ah you smell so good. So sweet.” She ran her tongue along the side of Sam’s next in anticipation.

Sam grimaced at the touch. Where the vamp licked his neck, it went numb. It was followed by the hot breath. Was that teeth? He struggled harder but couldn’t move. The bite however didn’t come. He felt the teeth graze his neck but it was like they snapped away. He was still being held by the vamp and he looked in the direction that the vamp was looking at with a wide eyed expression.

“Feeding a little early aren’t you?”

****

It was surprising to find that underground tunnel was under the de la Vera property. Then again it wasn’t a surprise since the family protected their vampire relatives. The frustrating thing was that it was a long tunnel and reminded her too much of the mining tunnels at Ellis. Angela peered into the darkness as she rubbed her wrists again from the rope burns.

It had taken longer than she thought to slip the bonds and she felt frustrated from it. _Looks like I’ll have to have Dean tie me up so I can practice._ It was the first thought that ran through her head once she was free. Getting her bearings, she searched the cavern while wiping her mouth. It felt good to wipe away that kiss. That was twice a woman got close enough to kiss her like that on the mouth against her will and both times she detested the people who did it.

It provided a slight break for the fact that her wrists were suffering rope burn. They would heal in time and already they were but she was more upset as she looked around. Her gaze reverted to the stiff that she saw tied to a piping like she was. Next to the body was a little wooden box. It had the most peculiar carvings on the lid and piqued her curiosity. She picked it up and took to examining it.

It was probably a waste of time to examine it but Angela felt compelled to. It had been hidden by the poor stiff. She wasn’t going to pretend to understand crazy vamp logic but she could follow it. She peered into the box and was surprised at what she saw. She then looked at the stiff much more carefully. When she got what she needed, she took off down the tunnel running. She had to get to the de la Vera house.

The end of the tunnel put her out in the middle of nowhere. Well it actually put her in the middle of cattle grazing fields; a fair distance from the house. It seemed that the Fates were deigning to make her work for her freedom and her job in saving people. Then again that was usually the case when life threw the sidewinder at you. Well the correct phrase was throwing a curve ball but it was the same thing in her mind. One way or another she was destined to really work for the light.

“You look like hell love.”

“Shut up Crowley. It’s not like you are going to do anything useful,” Angela replied as she narrowed her eyes and glanced at the sky. She moved her hands to create what she needed to gauge her direction. It was something that Dean would get off on in terms of the jokes. Once she found her way, she started walking in the direction of the house.

Crowley sighed and followed. He disliked physical exertion but as he admitted to himself, he was obsessed with her. “I might be able to help with that love. I can get you to where you want to go.”

“Let me guess: you want something in return,” Angela replied as she started trotting. “Forget it.”

“Now is that any way to treat an old friend?”

“You love it and we’re not friends.”

“But I do know that you want something that would be considered valuable.”

Angela gritted her teeth. She didn’t have time for this. “Not now. Beat it before I decide to ventilate you.”

“I can make it worth your while love. I know you want Dean’s contract. It’s only logical since your little mishap with the council. I can get it for you and get you to the house and it won’t cost you anything. I’ll call it even for keeping the sanctity of the tournament as well as braving certain elements as well as keeping the bloody Oni under control.”

Angela scoffed and ignored the demon. Along the way, she spotted something and grinned. When she got the opportunity, she slung it at Crowley and grinned when she heard him grunt. “Take that as my answer Crowley.” She gave a laugh and started running. That would keep the king of the crossroads busy for a while.

She managed to make it to the house and it looked like the dinner party was in full swing. Even though she and the boys were invited, she really wanted to minimize interaction with them. Hell if Aunt Rosa could pick out who she was, then there was the possibility that there were others. Besides, most vampires did have pretty good sniffers when they got into the mood. She could sneak in through the upstairs windows.

It was relatively an easy thing to do. She used to sneak in and out all the time when she was younger and well, she still did. Sometimes she would sneak out onto the roof of Bobby’s mainly to just sit up there and star gaze. She could give the top gymnast a run for their money with the way that she vaulted and used her body strength to flip over the beam and onto the balcony. From there it was simply a matter of making her way down the stairs and then trying to catch the boys’ eye. She knew that even though she hadn’t gotten in earlier, they would do what they have to and make sure that Elena was safe.

She was on the main stair that led to the great hall when she picked up something. It was a very familiar scent and she almost gagged in reflex. The vampire was here. So maybe the family did know the vampire but they didn’t realize how far off the reservation she had gone. That usually was the case. She narrowed her eyes and looked around and started using her nose. She decided to focus on the boys first since she needed to warn them and she had a plan.

Before the book club witches, she had finally answered Dean’s question of what she used to find him and Sam in the caverns. She actually blushed because it was something personal and was concerned that they would find it rather weird. Dean was easy because he had the unhealthy obsession with road food and in particular the fifty cent whores. That and the type of gel he used on his hair. Sam laughed up a storm saying that he always knew Dean had a sweet side. Sam… she cringed because it wasn’t anything remotely funny and ended up saying she focused on Dean since where there was one, there was the other. It worked until Sam had to ask her in private and she mentioned it. He found it rather interesting that she could smell printer ink and aftershave.

It was pretty handy now in a roomful of vamps, humans and Halflings. She made a beeline, well a crooked one to avoid the more olfactory sensitive individuals. She found them in a side room, the kind that is usually the side study type in the movies. She recognized the vamp right away and the bitch was trying to bite Sam.

Angela felt an uncontrollable rage start to grow. She recognized it and knew that she could lose control if she wasn’t careful but the bitch was threatening her Sam. She couldn’t help it and let herself be known. She couldn’t rush the bitch since she was equally capable of taking a bite. She knew that her power was felt because the vamp jerked back like she had been thrown back. Once she had the vamp’s attention, she said, “Feeding a little early aren’t you?”

“Perfect timing Angie,” Dean managed to grit out. He was still trying to get free from whatever the vamp bitch did to him. He also managed to notice the look in Angela’s eye. She was not pissed; she was angry and he knew the vamp was going to get it.

The vampire merely grinned and held onto to Sam. “Oh my new pretty found her way out. I am so sorry that you have to see what I must do.” The vampire held onto Sam held him up to take a bite. This was going to be fun.

“You leave him alone and Elena alone,” Angela replied as she stepped into the light. She managed to get her rage under control into that cold, polite façade. “You’ve already committed murder and assault but from the look of things… you’ve fallen.”

“I’ve risen up to right the wrongs. Lesson’s must be taught.”

Angela was surprised that no one was paying attention to them. That was just fine. She could have her way with the vampire. “Not this way. Let him go.” She advanced slowly ignoring the looks from the other vampire in the room.

The vampire held onto Sam who was making it difficult to hold on. She narrowed her eyes and an idea came to her. She grinned and replied, “I might be inclined to but it doesn’t matter. A lesson must be taught.” She grabbed Sam and headed towards the door and at the last second she shoved him aside and opened the doors to where the family was gathered and shouted, “Hunters! They’ve come for us!”

Angela had just come through the door to face a horde of vampires and Halflings and humans. It didn’t help that Elena had come out with her. She stared at the group; some were getting that murderous look in their eyes. They aimed to kill and she pulled her face into a wry look.


	15. Chapter 15

Diego saw Zoe run in claiming that hunters came in to come after the family. She was followed by a woman and Elena and he was shocked by the strong resemblance. He knew then that the more volatile members were going to think the worst and they did. He saw some of them advance and the fangs were coming out and the eyes were glowing.

Angela looked almost resigned at the prospect of taking on a horde of vamps and Halflings. Still there was no choice if they wanted to attack to kill. That was what happened when one of the members lunged calling her an abomination.

It was reaction for Angela to counter. Her eyes widened at the attacker and as soon as he came close she blocked the strike by using his body weight against him and sent him into the wall. She had her hands up ready to move but they were not clenched in fists. She looked around for the next threat but kept her eye on the vampire. She said, “I am not here for you but for a Fallen.”

“Preposterous! How dare you bear such resemblance…”

“There is no Fallen you bloodthirsty hunter!”

Something flew and hit Angela on the arm. It didn’t hurt and was more like an annoying fly than anything. She looked at the crowd and noticed the hot tempered youth that tried to take her out was inching towards her. It didn’t help that she had more than half a dozen giving her the same look while the others were in variances of shock and disgust and she didn’t know what. “There is a Fallen and is the one responsible for the attack on three young girls.”

At that moment Sam and Dean made their appearance much to Angela’s chagrin. It was at that moment that the vamp they were after said, “See? They are hunters. They want to kill us!”

Angela couldn’t help but grumble at Dean, “Nice timing.”

“Hey,” Dean retorted, “If that’s the thanks that we get for giving you backup…”

“It’s not that I’m not grateful but…”

At that moment the youth that attacked said, “Enough! We have hunters here. The question is how did they get in de la Vera?” He turned his eyes towards Diego who was trying to control his temper since things seemed to get out of hand.

“I invited them,” Elena shot out. “I knew that a vampire was responsible. They were just passing through and I thought they could help.”

Angela raised her brow at the lie the girl told. She could tell the vampire was getting agitated. Apparently it didn’t set well to hear conscious lies as well as the other indiscretions it perceived as wrong. Maybe…

“You know that hunters bring trouble. The last time they were here tragedy struck. I will be damned if another step foot in this house,” an elderly vampire pointed out. “De la Vera, you promised sanctuary after that.”

“And he did Uncle,” Hawke interfered. “They are not the problem. Zoe is.”

“How dare you accuse your own relation!”

“I will not have hunters here.”

The shouting escalated between the family members who were swayed to belief that the three hunters were good and those that hated hunters with a passion. Someone threw a punch and chaos started with the fist fights. Angela had to push Dean and Sam out of the way when someone decided to charge them. She blocked and then countered with a kick giving a slight battle yell.

Zoe watched as the family began throwing punches. This was better than she imagined. Apathy was death and then there were those who would punish the ones who believed in apathy. She watched as her new pretty threw a punch here or there trying to get to her. Well the time would come soon enough. She just had to get the right pressure points to get her to act. What happened in the side room, she rather liked.

Meanwhile Angela was beating off overzealous vamps that decided to come after her. She didn’t want to hurt them so she wasn’t going to go all out but she wasn’t a pushover either. It felt like the kicks and punches were random but in truth she was just defending herself. The family seemed to be concentrating on fighting with each other. It seemed that the tensions of avoiding hunters and protecting the more supernatural members of the family had reached a boiling point in the light of a supposed betrayal.

“So you’d rather be dealing with a family feud rather than catch a rogue vamp?” The voice came from the left as she was trying to make her way towards the vamp. “By the way, thanks for the gift.”

Angela rolled her eyes as she caught sight of Crowley lounging against a nearby wall with her little ‘gift’ and he was smirking at her. A quick glance told her that no one could see the demon. So in essence she would be talking to herself if anyone noticed. However with the chaos going on, she doubted anyone would be paying attention. She replied, “It seemed fitting given my opinion of you.”

Crowley twirled the dead snake in his hands. He had been startled when she picked it up and flung it at him but he rather enjoyed it. It was rather fitting as she aptly pointed out. He surveyed the fighting and was thoroughly amused. “Well it takes one to know one. Now why do you even bother?”

Angela pushed another charger out of the way and he automatically started going after someone else. It was like those old cowboy movies. A free for all and it didn’t matter; they were just hitting whoever. Talk about letting off steam. “Crime of opportunity for the culprit,” she replied while scanning for the vamp.

“Ah yes. Fear mongering is such a wonderful quality.”

“What do you want?”

“I’m just here to offer my help and let you know that this could be considered a payment for what you really want.”

“You really are desperate aren’t you?” Angela paused to scoff at the demon. She looked for the vampire but it was hard to catch the fiend with all the fists flying. “If you really wanted to make a difference, you wouldn’t be trying an offer.”

“And what? Be a do gooder? I’ll leave that to you love. I’m in the business of making deals,” Crowley replied. He spotted the vampire making her way towards Sam. Oh this was going to be good and he was going to stick around and watch.

“That’s pretty much all you are interested in especially concerning me.”

Crowley chuckled as he looked at the dead snake he was holding. “Oh love, I know things that concern and don’t concern you. This is merely my interest in you that you started when you sent that little worm looking for me.”

Angela glanced at the demon. “I knew I should have threatened Cary more.” She made a slight eye roll with her eyes as she managed to avoid another fistfight.

“Oh you should have done more than that love,” Crowley replied. “For the most part my interest in you is more of a game… much like someone else that you know. What the game is, my discretion though I think you know a little already. Just know that I am interested in you love.”

“Oh that makes me feel nice and warm inside,” Angela retorted. “Beat it Crowley before I get it in my mind to beat the crap out of you.”

Crowley noticed that the rogue vamp was within grabbing reach. Well time to see his love in action. “Seems to me you need to kick ass against your rogue vampire,” he said and pointed.

Angela didn’t need to follow Crowley’s direction. She had spotted the rogue vamp and was making a beeline for her. She summoned her inner rage since the vampire managed to get a hand on Sam. She managed to shout, unaware that it resounded with power and commanded the attention of everyone, “Zoe! Unhand him.”

Zoe had managed to get the drop on Sam again after she lost it when her new pretty decided to interfere. She should have tied the knots tighter. It was fun to watch him strike blindly when she teased him into fighting. He was good and obviously had some training in countering the fast speeds of vampires but not good enough against her and she had him. Of course her new pretty has to interfere. She quickly grabbed Sam tightly and in a manner that would tell anyone thinking of trying something that she could kill him. “I don’t think so. You see a lesson must be taught.”

Angela had eyes only for the vampire and Sam. She was not going to let anything happen to him if it took her last breath to make it so. “Like you taught a lesson to those poor girls? Threaten your family?”

Zoe laughed at that, “What was done was done for the good of their morality. They know now.” She noticed that Angela was starting to advance. “Not another step unless you want to see this. In the end the hunter threat will be ended.”

Angela paused a moment. She wasn’t going to do anything foolish that could get Sam killed. She couldn’t give in to the girl either. “Let him go,” she repeated as she gritted her teeth.

“Catch me if you can,” and Zoe was gone.

Angela took off in a cold sprint after the vampire ignoring everything else. With the distance between her and Zoe, she was going to have to stay true to the path otherwise… She wasn’t going to think about that right now. She pushed it as she gave chase all the while ignoring the fact that the family was murmuring about what they had just heard and people explaining what was going on. She didn’t even see Ricardo Valle make an entrance with his family. All eyes were on the vampire Zoe. She didn’t even see that she was being followed.

Angela caught up with the vampire on an upstairs balcony. “Zoe!”

“Stay back my pretty,” Zoe replied threatening. Her eyes were red rimmed and her teeth were out. She put her mouth threateningly near Sam’s neck.

Angela stood firm and halted in her tracks. She tried to catch Sam’s eye as she slowly put her hand in her jacket pocket. Her body was tense and she could feel her muscles twitch. Every urge was telling her to charge forward but she was fighting while she formulated a plan.

****

Sam thought it was a bad idea to interfere by coming out. It was confirmed when the room full of highly tempered vampires and Chasers started arguing and then someone threw a punch and the fights were on. He stared wide eyed at the scene of men and women slinging fists. He certainly didn’t expect to get involved.

He had to follow Angela and ended up getting grabbed from someone and a punch was thrown. He blocked since he was certain that the punches were meant to really hurt and maim. His own punch knocked the guy aside and it made Sam wonder if he had a glass jaw. That led to them getting separated and defending for his life though at that point it seemed that it was just the de la Vera family going after each other. He could even hear insults from past offenses and he thought he had Dean had family issues.

Aside from the occasional punch to a wayward lout, Sam was relatively uninvolved with the fight and spent his time looking for his brother and Angela. At one point he was certain he caught Dean throwing a punch and it looked like he was enjoying it. He was obviously hanging around Angela too much who admitted that she liked to give a good ass kicking as long as it didn’t involve killing someone or something. That was a part of her nature aside from the fact that she cared about everyone else but herself. He was so busy paying attention to the field that he didn’t notice the crazy vamp Zoe sneaking up on him until she practically taunted him with, “Did you miss me?

His reaction was instantaneous and he whirled around to see the vampire looking at him with the same look that she gave Angela; like she wanted to eat him. It was an uncomfortable feeling but with survival instincts on, it was quickly abated. He grabbed the nearest thing to use as a weapon and was ready to swing it when he was stopped by the vampire’s grip and she tsked him and said, “A good boy faces his punishment.”

The next thing Sam knew was that she had grabbed him, again, and was getting ready to do something when he heard Angela bellow at her to let him go. Sam noticed the whole room go quiet with that but that was nothing compared to the Vengeful Virago that was standing there and ready to commit bloody murder. That was when he felt his air get choked off and Zoe said something and dragged him down the hall. He thought he heard his brother call out for him but that was muted when he was dragged unceremoniously up the stairs and to a sort of large room that was like a study.

Angela managed to catch up though but she froze. Sam knew she wasn’t going to try anything if it put him or Dean at risk. It was something that could be used against her. Yet he managed to catch her eye as he struggled. She looked at him and he gave a slight nod. In a way it was giving her permission to do what she had to and that he was okay with it.

****

Angela stared at Zoe. She had a tight grip on Sam so that would make what she had in mind difficult. Still with the things she noticed in this room, she may have a chance and if she played her cards right… “Stop this Zoe. You will only be making things worse.”

“No things will be better. You are supposed to be my new teacher and teach the lessons that need to be taught.”

 _So you did plan on dying. Interesting._ Angela continued to keep her eye on Zoe as she slowly pulled something out of her jacket pocket while saying, “Not this way Zoe. I can understand why though.” She glanced at Sam and then back at Zoe, “They killed her didn’t they… the hunters?”

Zoe paused a moment. Not that again. She tightened her grip on Sam and made a threatening move to bite him. “They deserve to die… every last one.”

“You know that can’t be so. The one who did this to you does and probably did.” Angela held her hands out in a placating gesture.

“They killed her and the bleeding town did nothing to stop it,” Zoe countered. Her red rimmed eyes were flashing with anger. She felt the blood lust calling to her. It wanted her to give in and make this betrayer suffer. She had seen the reaction. “Just like they won’t do anything if I were to kill him.”

“You will not kill him,” Angela countered firmly. Her rage threatened to boil forth but she had to remain in control. “But you did kill those two young people. You harmed two girls. That makes you no better than they are.”

“What do you know about justice?”

“Plenty,” Angela replied. She unfurled her hand and revealed the necklace that had been in the box. It had been engraved on the back and addressed to Zoe. The way how it was carefully kept from tarnishing, she knew that it was something more than a trinket. “Do you think Nivea would approve?”

It was the reaction she was hoping for. Childish ranting was guaranteed to set Sam free though the painless part didn’t exactly follow through since he was roughly shoved into a bookcase. At least he had the sense to cover his head and protect himself. Angela on the other hand was prepared for the sudden rush and sidestepped to let Zoe run past her. It allowed her to maneuver and unsheathe a sword dating back to the 1800s and one that was used by Spanish dons; in other words, well Dean’s words, the Zorro era. She had to do this as much as she hated it.

Zoe growled a feral growl when she missed and wheeled around to find Angela holding onto a sword. She glared at her and said, “So you wish to use Nivea to submit me?”

“To make you see reason,” Angela replied calmly. Her fist still held the necklace and she held it up while the other held the blade. She pointed it at the vampire to indicate that she was willing to fight.

“Do you know how to use that thing?” Zoe countered. She saw one and pulled it out. She had Nivea’s gift and she would not see it tarnished by one of them. “Because I know how to use one too and I don’t have time to give you the proper instruction.” She slid into a basic stance all the while grinning in a taunting manner.

Angela made a slight grimace that was sort of like a smile and slid back into her stance, “I’ve had the proper instruction since I was four… nearly five centuries ago.”

Zoe felt like her rewards were coming. She was going to enjoy this. She lashed out first with a quick strike and it led to a slight volley. It ended when Angela lifted her blade up to bat it away and she side stepped to move around. She chuckled, “One question little pretty…” She lunged again engaging in a volley of parries and strikes until she locked Angela’s blade against a bookshelf. “How would you like me to display the corpses of your fellow hunters?”

Angela pushed off to release her blade and backed up. She narrowed her eyes in anger and held her blade up so that it looked loose in her hand. She charged with her own strike and started another volley until she got in close enough to throw a left hook to the side of Zoe’s head. That stunned her enough for her to charge again. “Give it up Zoe.”

Zoe on the other hand refused to and stepped up her attack. She spotted young Hawke who came to help and using her abilities, she flung him forward into the line of fire. It was to be a distraction and a calculated risk. The boy hadn’t done anything wrong but he did side with the hunters and needed to be punished for it. If he got skewered, that was his problem. She smiled and laughed maniacally as she watched him fly and leapt onto a table.

Angela was surprised to see the young vamp come flying at her and she almost skewered him. At the last minute she dropped into a split and bent forward so that the vampire sailed clean over her. It was a reflex but one that served well on occasion. She was back on her feet and had chased Zoe to stand on the same table that she was on. She attacked viciously and was unaware of the gash she incurred on her left upper arm. She was equally matched in ferocity by Zoe as they clashed repeatedly until Angela decided on a gambit.

Channeling her telekinetic ability and building it up, Angela pulled back as they locked, each blocking the other’s blade, then she let loose with her left in a thrusting motion and felt it come out. Unfortunately Zoe had the same idea since it was evident that she had a similar talent to Angela. Of course the laws of Newton were applied.

Since both were of equal force, the pressure became too much and both were blasted backwards. Angela crashed into another bookcase and it collapsed on her. For Zoe, she landed just as hard unaware that she was near Sam who managed to shake off the stunning from being flung aside. She was up instantly while Angela was struggling underneath the pile of wood and books. She looked at her with wide eyes full of hunger. Her new pretty was so much like Nivea with that bold and fiery passion and skill. She smiled as she commented, “Impressive. I never expected one like you to have such strength. I am so going to enjoy molding you…”

At that moment Sam had managed to grab another sword and swung at Zoe but missed. She had whirled around so fast and blocked with a clang. She batted the blade away and charged at Sam with her free hand and grabbed him by his shirtfront and flung him onto the balcony. She followed suit and said, “Foolish hunter. You will pay for all your sins as well as your partner.”

Sam was up on his feet and jumped out of the way. “You don’t want to do this.” It sounded stupid trying to reason with a crazy vampire but Sam wanted to give Angela time to shake off her sudden barrage of literature.

Zoe laughed and replied, “I find that funny. You saying something like that. It’s something I expected and yet don’t. No matter.” She then charged with the intent to kill. She knew he would fight back. She would just have fun with it.

Sam did fight back. He dodged the thrusts to avoid getting skewered but that didn’t help when Zoe used her fists on him. Each blow was a stunner and he could feel it. No one ever got used to blows like that. He managed to dodge another thrust but was given a backhand and in trying to keep his balance, he bumped into the railing on the balcony. When Zoe came at him again he managed to grab her sword arm.

Zoe countered and flung Sam over the railing and had him dangling. It was a two story drop but it would do damage… if he were alive. Right now the only thing keeping him from falling was her holding onto him and her on the other side. She chuckled as Sam held on, “Well, well, well. Seems like we are at a cross road of some sort.”

Sam grunted as he held on to the vampire’s arm and tried to reach for the railing. “You can still stop this.”

Zoe chuckled, “You are amusing. Unfortunately I can’t stand the sight of you or your kind so you will be the first lesson to my new pretty. I am going to enjoy draining you dry.”

Sam knew he was in trouble since he couldn’t grip the railing. He saw the teeth emerge in Zoe’s mouth and for a split second he thought that it was a shame a pretty girl, even if she was a vamp, had gone so far off the reservation. He saw her lunge and then felt the spray of warm blood on his face. Yet there was no pain from the bite. That was strange since he knew the pain of a bite since the fur ball bit him hard when it wanted to play earlier. What the hell?

Looking up he could see red rimmed eyes full of that blood lust but no teeth. The reason was that they were sunk into an arm right at the wrist and it was dripping blood. Sam followed the arm to its owner and saw that it belonged to none other than Angela. His eyes widened as she held on while the vampire pulled all three of them back over.

Zoe fingered the blood dripping from her mouth as she tasted it. She eyed Angela whose right wrist was dripping uncontrollably and she was still hanging onto her sword. She was sporting a cut on her left eyebrow that was swollen and slightly discolored from bruising. The blood though held her interested. The taste… it was unusual… She must have more and it was dripping slowly away. She charged.

Angela thought that she had the Centurion’s library dropped on her head given the force of her Newton’s law ‘experiment’. She had a bump on the head and she wiped away the excess blood so she could see. It was enough see Zoe hunched over the railing and Sam was nowhere in sight. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.

Upon seeing the motion to bite, Angela acted rather than thought and made the mad dash and stuck her arm in the way of the fangs. She knew that by biting her wrist, she set herself up for bleeding out. That was minor at the moment since Sam was in trouble and she pulled when Zoe backed up and broke her arm free and now it was dripping like crazy and judging from the look on Zoe’s face, she loved the taste.

Gripping the sword, she knew she had one chance to finish this. Timing it right, she made a quick slice as Zoe streamed past her. She could feel the grating of flesh and bone through the blade. She watched as Zoe collided with the wall and her head popped off just as Diego and few other members came in. She didn’t say anything since she collapsed in a rather untidy heap on the ground, a small pool of blood forming near her wrist and she heard two familiar voices calling her name before seeing black.


	16. Chapter 16

The night was balmy and comfortable with the stars poking out and was accentuated by the tiki torches to ward off the bugs. Music filled the air and there were the sounds of people talking about everything. Most of it was directed to the mass that was just celebrated and the announcing dance of a new young lady that just joined the ranks of grown up society that had just occurred.

The dance floor was filled with couples dancing traditional dances. The clothing was almost period like on some of the older guests. The younger ones had more modern clothing but tastefully done. The music was also done to incorporate modern and traditional dance. It was a well-developed design of bringing old and young generations together.

Hawke surveyed the party with great interest. It seemed that once the danger had been confirmed passed, the whole town was willing to go back to the previously made plans. It was a shame that certain prices had to be paid for that but at least the more disinclined to like hunters of the family were more tolerant of them now. Uncle Diego would always be wary and on the lookout but he wasn’t going to be hostile towards them either. That was a big step in his book especially since he admitted that he hunted himself.

Pushing the old doom and gloom aside, Hawke’s eye alighted on a bright spot in his life and sauntered on over. He laid on the charm thickly as he cut in on his cousin’s partner and whirled her away with a flourish. “There now we have you away from the most boring human in existence.”

Elena couldn’t help but laugh at her cousin’s antics. She was grateful that he interceded on her behalf. She didn’t know what she was going to do if she had to listen to more of Gerado’s blather. He could make dancing sound boring with his analysis on the technicalities of it. “He has his good points but I think he needs someone who would praise him unlike me.”

“Not you in a million years cousin.” Hawke surveyed his cousin with a practiced eye. He took in the white formal gown that had been designed for the occasion up to the carefully made up face and the coiffed hair and the tiara that had been presented to her. “Nope. You’re too ugly for a guy like him,” he added with a smirk.

“You beast!” Elena shrieked as she playfully slapped her cousin’s arm. “You are the most hideous one to spring out of the family since the old lady gave you your ridiculous name. Bird of prey my ass.”

“What an obscene turn of phrase from such a pristine girl,” Hawke countered. It was joke between the two of them. They would always accuse the other of being too ugly or too stupid or whatever tickled their fancy at the moment.

“And you know I’m not that pristine with my vocabulary when in private,” Elena countered with a grin on her face.

It was nice that things went back to a somewhat normal state. It was just sad that Zoe was gone. Due to her own grief, she turned to the blood lust fully and her upbringing became twisted in her mind. At least Lupe, Rosita and Ana were okay now. That was all thanks to her double. Elena sighed and wondered if there was anything that could have been done to help Zoe but in the end it seemed that her dying was a mercy for her.

“Such a grim face for a happy occasion,” Hawke commented.

“Just thinking about what it took to get this,” Elena replied.

“Some of it was good and some of it was bad but that is how life works. If Zoe hadn’t been stopped, she would have moved on to the others,” Hawke pointed out.

“I know,” Elena replied. She glanced around and then saw a familiar sight and an idea came to her. She grinned a little.

“Ah there’s the beautiful smile but I can tell the owner is up to something,” Hawke teased, his eyes ever observant. Elena was like a little sister to him and he could often read her thoughts and moods better than a con artist.

Elena gestured with her eyes off to the side. She replied, “Oh just an idea. It might prove entertaining.”

Hawke followed the gesture on what she was getting at. He was good since he had once or twice been in a similar position while tracking a shifter or two. When he caught sight of it he raised his brow and asked, “And you are certain?”

“Let’s just say I’ve had some hints and I’m going to need you to do that thing you do. Go all Matrix like.” She made a slight waving of her hands while Hawke held onto her waist. She loved teasing him by making his special talent sound all mystical like.

“That ability is not a toy,” Hawke scolded gently though he could see the entertainment value. He had picked up on a few things and maybe it might prove to be beneficial in the long run. “You know such things must be respected.”

“I seriously think the know how is in there for what I have in mind,” Elena countered. She turned on her begging look which was really a pout. She knew Hawke had a low resistance to that look and he usually caved and big time.

Hawke knew he was done for with the pout. He knew that talents like his were, in effect, a big responsibility. He couldn’t be careless with them since they could cause harm. However maybe this once he could do it. Certainly it would make a couple of dark clouds a little brighter. With a resigned look he asked, “What did you have in mind?”

Elena pulled Hawke closer to whisper. She could just talk normal since the music was drowning out her voice. He would pick up on it since he had very good hearing. She relayed her idea and what his part would be.

Hawke frowned a little but was still listening, “You want me to what?”

“That one you should know. You spent some time south of the border and you said you did learn it,” Elena said.

“Did it ever occur to you that I was just saying that to scandalize Father?” Hawke countered. A look at Elena’s face told him that she didn’t believe that crock of shit and that’s what it was. He admitted that he had a wild side but he was responsible with it. That was rather a strange concept since most wild men were… wild. “I guess not. There’s no fooling you I guess. Okay so maybe I know that one. Why do you want me to download that one?”

Elena whispered the answer back. When Hawke pulled away and looked at her, she nodded. “Yes.”

Hawke felt like his Christmas had come early that year. So that was the reason. Then he was all for it. Lord knows he did that with some of his cousins and their boyfriends or girlfriends. He replied, “Then I will cherish breaking my responsibility rules this time. Though if you really want to make it work, you should really do this…” He bent low to whisper in her ear since she was human and wasn’t blessed with his kind of hearing.

They spent the rest of the dance whispering and organizing the on the fly plan the next part was to put it into action. Elena gave a polite curtsey to her cousin and skirted away to find a major player and key informant in her plan. She found who was looking for by the food buffet and chuckled. It wasn’t a hard guess and she walked right up to him and said, “There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.” She gave a tug on the unsuspecting guy’s hand and put his plate down and pulled him towards the dance floor while saying, “You did promise me a dance.”

Dean was enjoying a nice buffet of food. The taquitos were delicious and this weird meat stuff was astronomical. He had to admit that it was nice of de la Vera to let them stay for the shindig. He was bored during the mass since he was not inclined to go to church but hey he got food for his troubles. It surprised him when Elena ambushed him and said that he promised her a dance. He did no such thing but went along with it since he didn’t want her relatives getting funny ideas even though he disliked the prospect of giving up his food.

Once on the dance floor, he was swept into a formal dance and he inwardly groaned. He didn’t go for this kind of thing even though he did enjoy Saku’s wedding dance. “Okay so what’s the deal of tearing me away from a scrumptious buffet? You’re lucky it wasn’t pie.”

Elena couldn’t resist the giggling. He sounded like a couple of the ranch hands when their fun was spoiled and it was damned hilarious. She replied, “You promised me a dance.” The look of feigned innocence was clear on her face.

“I did not and don’t try that innocent look on me,” Dean countered. He was surprised he wasn’t stepping on any toes.

“Alright I won’t tease you anymore but I thought it only polite to let you in on an idea I have in mind,” Elena relented. It was rather mean to have ambushed him since after all he did save her from being accidentally hit by an overzealous uncle… or was it cousin?

Dean was interested since he picked up a hint of mischief and it wasn’t the kind that was meant supernaturally. No this smelled more like the prank kind and he was game for it. If he had to venture a guess, it was for his brother. “Okay. What do you have in mind sister?”

Elena liked the direct approach Dean took things. It was like Hawke but then again it wasn’t and she suspected it was because of his experiences growing up and doing what he did. At least he had a sense of humor. “Well let’s just say that Hawke has a knack for downloading information.”

Dean raised a brow in suspicion. “What kind of information?”

“Oh the know-how for certain things. Things that not everybody necessarily knows,” Elena replied with a slight shrug.

“And?”

“Maybe it might be useful for the black rain cloud to get a little fun.”

Dean had to admit he was intrigued. He knew Elena was referring to Sam since he had been a wet blanket since yesterday. He really didn’t blame him after what happened. Yet that was their life though. Maybe what she had in mind could help. “Sounds interesting. Keep talking.” He looked around to make sure that no one was listening, as if that could happen. Yet one never knew considering that there was the equivalent of a large nest of vampires wandering around.

Elena grinned a little. She had Dean’s attention. It was going to be difficult to whisper since Dean didn’t have vampire senses then again she with the people on the floor and paying attention to their own thing, the chances of someone listening was almost nil. She replied, “Well if you do a turn, you’ll see my cousin and his partner.”

Dean thought it was an annoying game but it strangely was interesting. Hell anything involving pulling a prank on his brother was a good thing in his book. He turned with the music and caught a good look of Elena’s cousin Hawke and his dance partner. It also gave him a good view of Sam and he quickly turned to avoid being caught. “You playing that card?”

Elena nodded as she explained, “Extreme emotions make it easier for Hawke to ‘download’ what he wants. Emotions are much easier to latch onto.”

Dean thought about it. That must be why… It seemed plausible considering and it didn’t seem to be too bad to do. “Okay, you need me to do anything?”

Elena gave a slight smile and replied, “Well I need you to do…”

****

Hawke thought he had the easy part of the job. At least it had to do with confidence in his charms. He made his way effortlessly through the crowds to where Aunt Rosa was sitting. The old biddy was watching the festivities with profound interest. He smiled and said, “Enjoying yourself, Aunt Rosa?”

Rosa looked up at the considered black sheep of the family. He was the loveable black sheep since he had a good heart even though some of his activities were not exactly approved. She smiled and replied, “Yes my little Hawke. I see you’re still being a rogue.”

“Part of my charm,” Hawke replied with a smile.

“Try that on a young lady that can see through that mask of yours,” Rosa scolded.

“Been there, done that and I haven’t found one yet to my liking. So I guess I’ll have to settle with dancing with the best dressed girl at the party.” Hawke gave his most endearing smile.

“Didn’t you already do that?” Aunt Rosa decided to tease. “Then again you have always been Elena’s guard dog since she could walk and talk.”

Hawke blush in slight embarrassment. Everyone knew that. He cleared his throat, “Elena is just my cousin and she’s always well dressed. I was actually thinking the young lady sitting with you might like to dance.” He walked up to the woman sitting with Aunt Rosa and held out his hand, “May I have this dance?”

“I think that is acceptable,” Aunt Rosa replied cinching the deal. She could tell her scamp nephew was up to something. She could help him along. “Baila Angelita.”

Angela had been enjoying the festivities from her appointed seat. She had forgotten how stubborn traditional Mexican mothers when it came to obeying doctor’s orders. In this case it was from her silly ole watchdog and bulldog and she didn’t blame them. Not after the scare she had given them last night.

The bite Zoe gave her had been deep and she lost quite a bit of blood and she passed out. She woke up and found that it had been stitched and bandaged and found two very anxious Winchesters passed out in chairs so close that she could reach out and touch them. Sam badgered her with her mug and Dean did nothing about it but let Sam go about his merry way with the mother hen mode.

The de la Vera family invited them to stay the day and it was more for recovery and the boys accepted. The main concession was to go to the mass and the party. Dean’s rule was that she take it easy throughout the whole thing and actually asked the old bat next to her to make sure she did. In a way it was a good thing since she was out of sight and because she really didn’t have anything to wear. Of course Esperanza solved that one.

She gave Angela a dress that was designed in traditional Mexican style but the sleeves were long. It was a courtesy to the fact that she had a bandaged wrist. How she found one that was suitable and fit her tall frame was something that Angela didn’t ask. She didn’t even find it in her to grumble about wearing a dress. It wasn’t worth it really especially when you had half a dozen ladies that acted like your mother. So she put it on and stood in the back through the mass and muttered the proper responses in Spanish.

She looked between Hawke and the old bat who was egging her on. She actually felt good since Sam made sure she had two mugs full of her needed sustenance. At this rate the bite would be gone in a couple of days and the cut was a faint scar in her eyebrow and actually accented the raised look she gave. One dance wouldn’t hurt. She gave a slight smile and said, “Alright. One dance.”

Hawke grinned as he took the proffered hand and led her to the dance floor. It was pretty much a nice couples’ dance and was impressed at how light on her feet she was. “You are good on your feet.” He glanced around and saw Sam watching. Time to move.

“Proper ladies education,” Angela gave the answer. “And I used to dance. Ballet and free form.”

Hawke noticed that there were more couples so he pulled in Angela a little closer and she responded. He managed to catch a glimpse of Sam who was looking agitated. He figured he had it bad if he was getting agitated over that. “Ballet? No wonder you were so elegant in your sword play.”

Angela shrugged her shoulder slightly as followed Hawke’s lead. He was good on his feet. He knew how to position his hands and compensated for height and comfort. His hand was low and on the swell of her hip but it felt right. “Same principles in martial arts training.”

“Hmm. I guess it works to your advantage when you save your friends from certain death.”

Angela looked at Hawke. He was being curious about her relationship with her two nags and he was interested about her but not in her. That was a first in her opinion. “They are family to me.”

“So they would take a bite for you? I’m sorry.”

“Probably not to the extreme but they do defend my honor.” Angela smiled to let the vampire know it was all right.

“Then I should be wary of your friend Sam there.”

“What?” Angela looked around. She spotted Sam trying to look inconspicuous about the whole thing. She sighed and said, “He gets like that if another guy looks at me the wrong way. He knows that I’ve never had a relationship that could be defined as such. Silly watchdog.”

Hawke listened to the tone of affection. He spotted Dean and Elena and they were conspiring. He had to wait for the signal and there was Dean heading over to the musicians. So the big brother was on board. He focused his attention on Angela and on the dance to really rile up Sam, “Sounds like a good thing to have.”

“I’ve been looking after myself since before he was born,” Angela retorted. “Then again it is nice to have someone watch your back without cringing in fear of you.”

“Sounds like a valuable friend to have,” Hawke replied meaning it. He was the black sheep of the family and the only one who accepted him completely was Elena.

The dance finished and he gave the polite bow towards Angela. Now was time to bring it to fruit. “That was fun. Now I don’t know why you had to take it easy. You should be trying something more robust… unless you are unequal to the task.” He hinted a teasing tone.

Angela smiled at the challenge, “On contraire I feel like I could take on a wendigo.”

“But alas I am too short. Perhaps maybe your friend Sam would like to?” They were close enough for Sam to hear and Hawke motioned with a flourish. “Actually he should. Since you both are capable of taking on a Fallen.” He moved and pushed Sam until he bumped into Angela.

At that moment the crowd started spouting comments. It was good natured challenging and Angela saw Elena begging. She sighed and said, “I think we were manipulated into this.”

“No kidding,” Sam replied. He was more annoyed that Hawke played upon his nature to watch out for her. He noticed the teasing wink and it looked like Dean wasn’t going to rescue him. “What do you want to do?”

“I guess give the people what they want,” Angela offered. She offered a hand and after a moment’s hesitation Sam took it and they took the center floor.

Sam was unsure of what to do. From the conversation he had been made to hear, it was some sort of dance. He was annoyed and frustrated since he had no idea what type of dance this was. He stood there looking like he was going to panic and then an unfamiliar sensation ticked into his mind and he made a puzzled frown.

“Look if you want to back out, there is no shame,” Angela said. She had seen the frown and thought that he was expressing his displeasure.

“It’s nothing,” Sam replied. As soon as he heard the music, it was like he knew what to do. It sounded like a tango but it was more risqué. He took off into the first move while looking down in slight confusion.

Angela was surprised at the opening bars. Even more so when Sam swept her in the first move and continued. She wore a look of surprise as he executed the steps perfectly. Her surprise was that he knew this dance.

The first time she danced this dance was when she was undercover on a job in the 1880s and she was in California. Most of the dons still had their land holdings and she was trying to uncover a plot for the old take over the world ploy. Somehow she managed to convince them that she was doña from Spain and Austin was a lesser noble from France. He certainly had a passable accent and who the hell was going to call him out on that? It was that dance that Angela saw Austin’s true feelings.

Angela locked her eyes on Sam’s as they went through the dance. It was a series of steps like those line dances. The steps came back as she went through them and her arms and body flowed gracefully. When the guitar started strumming she whipped her body around and came face to face with Sam. Her hand automatically went up to caress the side of Sam’s neck with the side of her hand. Her fingers were poised in an artistic point.

Angela’s eyes never left Sam’s face. She could see the confusion still but it faded. She assumed that he was resigned to the fact that how he knew this dance was something to be discussed later. He seemed to get into it as they dominated the floor. At some point, Angela had the sneaking suspicion that Esperanza chose her dress on purpose.

The dress was traditional and shortened a little so that it showed off her legs a little. Well it showed off the calves and allowed people to watch her feet. The top portion was done in in the peasant blouse style and the bottom was embroidered. It flared a little with the petticoat underneath. It showed off how perfect the steps and twirls were. It couldn’t erase the suspicion that everyone in the de la Vera household was in on this.

She studied Sam as she followed through with the steps. She had the ability to separate her mind from what her body was doing once it ‘remembered’ certain motions; that whole second nature thing. For some reason she thought about her conversation with Hawke and she reexamined her actions against Zoe especially when she just acted and stuck her arm in the way of razor sharp teeth.

At some point, everyone else disappeared and she kept her eyes on Sam. The dance called for complete eye contact. As they touched hands for the final stretch, she became aware of a feeling as her thoughts increased in its thought circle. She felt the tempo increase as she did the final steps. The music ended staccato and the timing was perfect. Her right leg had come up and Sam’s hand was right at the crook of her knee and barely touched but it looked firm and intimate. She had gripped his side and near his collar bone. They finished when he bent her over and slowly brought her up.

The crowd was clapping even though it was a rather risqué dance. Angela didn’t notice as Sam brought her back upright and slowly took her right hand in order to give a cursory glance at her wrist. Suddenly she felt winded with a sudden realization as her thoughts came to a finish as she observed him looking at her wrist for any signs of blood from ripped stitches. It felt like getting hit by a hammer or shot at but it was a big shock.

_Oh god. I’m in love with Sam._


End file.
